When a conversation feels difficult, don’t start with emotion; start with observation. Borrow a trick from military ...

The Fast Company Executive Board is a private, fee-based network of influential leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. BY Magdalena Nowicka Mook We ...

For leaders, keeping your workforce engaged and happy in 2025 is more than just the pay packet, working conditions, and benefits. The social contract between employers and employees has changed ...

arises when raising difficult topics. This universal challenge affects professional settings, personal relationships, and social interactions alike, creating barriers to effective communication when ...

Today’s very best leaders stand out in great part because they have developed and honed the ability to skillfully handle difficult conversations. It’s this ability to talk with employees about ...

This Q&A is part of Observer’s Expert Insights series, where industry leaders, innovators and strategists distill years of experience into direct, practical takeaways and deliver clarity on the issues ...

Sheila Heen is the author of the books “Difficult Conversations” and “Thanks for the Feedback.” A few years ago, I heard her speak at a Global Leadership Summit in Fort Wayne. In her speech, she made ...

Sometimes in life, we have to have conversations that we know will be difficult both for us and for the person we’re talking to. A parent needs to reprimand a wayward teenager, a teacher needs to ...

Artificial Intelligence proponents say it makes lives easier. Opponents say it eliminates jobs. In this conversation we ...