How to Have Hard Conversations as a Manager

David Buirs | Leadership & Executive Coach

How to Have Hard Conversations as a Manager

David Buirs is an ICF-certified leadership coach based in Amsterdam, specialising in managers with 0 to 4 years of experience. This article explains why new managers avoid difficult conversations and what actually helps them stop. It draws on CoActive coaching principles and over 10 years of practical leadership experience.

She described herself as “the caring type.” And she meant it.

Her team liked her. She was warm, approachable, the kind of manager people felt comfortable talking to.

But she had not had a real difficult conversation in almost two years.

Every time something needed to be said, she found a softer version. Or she waited. Or she told herself it was not that serious. Her team picked up on it. Some started pushing boundaries. Others quietly stopped coming to her for feedback, because they knew she would just be nice.

She was not avoiding those conversations because she was lazy. She was protecting a story about herself. “I am the empathetic one. That is who I am.”

The story you protect

Most managers have a version of this. It shows up in one of two ways.

You protect the “I am direct and clear” story. Which sometimes means avoiding warmth.

Or you protect the “I am the caring one” story. Which sometimes means avoiding honesty.

Both feel like a strength. And they are, up to a point. The problem is when the story starts making decisions for you.

You know that conversation needs to happen. But you also know it might make you look less empathetic. So you wait. Or you soften it until it says almost nothing.

Leaving something unsaid is also a choice. And it has consequences.

Why the frameworks do not do the work

There is no shortage of good models for how to have hard conversations as a manager.

Radical Candor. Non-Violent Communication. Psychological Safety. They are all built on the same idea: clarity and care are not opposites. You can be honest because you care about someone, not despite it.

Most managers who struggle with difficult conversations already know this. They have read the books. They have taken the training.

Knowing the model does not change much on its own. The real shift happens when you start seeing yourself as someone who can actually do both.

That is where most training stops short. It teaches the technique. It skips the identity part. For organisations that want to address this at scale, a leadership program built around real behaviour change tends to land very differently than a one-day workshop.

How to have hard conversations as a manager: start with who you are

The conversation does not start in the meeting room. It starts in how you see yourself.

If you are more on the empathetic side, that feedback you have been postponing is not a threat to who you are. It is an expression of it. You say something because you want this person to grow, to succeed, to not be blindsided six months from now.

If you are more on the direct side, naming a problem is something you already do well. The upgrade is in how you do it. You speak like you are talking to someone you genuinely want the best for.

In the leadership guidance I do with new managers, this is one of the most consistent patterns we work through together. Not “how do I say this.” But “who do I want to be when I say this.”

Once that shifts, the actual conversation tends to get much easier.

A practical place to start

Think of one conversation you have been putting off. There is probably one.

Before you plan what to say, ask yourself one question: what story about myself am I protecting by not having it?

That question alone tends to open something up.

Curious whether this is the right fit? Plan your free introduction here. Zero obligation.

How to Climb the Corporate Ladder Without Losing Your Soul

Leiderschapscoach Amsterdam | David Buirs

How to Climb the Corporate Ladder. Without Losing Your Soul.

This article is written by David Buirs, leadership coach and trainer in Amsterdam, for managers in the first zero to four years of their career. It examines how to climb the corporate ladder without compromising your integrity or relationships. The reader learns what two forms of ambition lead to, which small trade-offs erode character over time, and what behavior genuinely distinguishes effective leaders.

At some point in your career, you’ll meet someone who got far by making other people’s lives harder. The question worth asking is: how did they get there?

And more uncomfortably: could that happen to you?

I’ve seen a pattern over and over. Both in my leadership career and in my work as a leadership coach.

It doesn’t start with bad intentions. It usually starts with pressure. A tough quarter. A reorg. A colleague throwing their hat in the ring for the same promotion.

And then, slowly, something starts to change.

They cancel 1-on-1s with their team because there’s a presentation to polish for the executive meeting. Just this once. Then it happens again. They start answering people above them within minutes, and leaving the people below them waiting for days. They get short with colleagues who need something but can’t offer anything in return. They walk past the receptionist without a word, but light up the moment a senior leader walks in.

They start performing importance. In how they talk. In how available they are, and to whom.

I’ve seen manipulation. I’ve seen bullying. And what strikes me most, every time, is that the person doing it isn’t evil. They’re scared. Scared of losing power, reputation, money. The things they’ve come to value above everything else.

Nobody decides to become that person. It just starts to feel like survival.

Two Ways to Climb the Corporate Ladder

Most of us run on a kind of autopilot when it comes to ambition. The brain picks a goal, “make Senior X,” “get the promotion,” “hit the number,” and chases it. When you get there, there’s a brief rush. Then the feeling fades, and the mind finds the next target. And on it goes.

There are basically two ways to move up the ladder.

One is driven by fear and ego: protecting status, chasing titles, accumulating money as proof of worth. The other is less obvious, but much more valuable: building a great career while doing good things for the people around you. Growing. Learning. Leaving people better than you found them.

Both can get you far. But they lead to very different places.

It’s worth pausing to ask: why do I want that promotion? Not the obvious answer. The real one.

What People Regret at the End

Bronnie Ware spent years working in palliative care, sitting with people in the last weeks of their lives. She wrote down what they told her. The regrets that kept coming up.

Nobody said: “I wish I’d made it to VP.”

What they said was: “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself.” “I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.” “I wish I’d let myself be happier.”

That last one stays with me. Let myself be happier. As if happiness was available all along, but something kept getting in the way.

In most cases, what got in the way was fear. Of not being enough. Of losing what they’d built. Of what people would think.

How You Lose Your Soul. One Small Trade-Off at a Time.

It doesn’t happen in one dramatic moment.

You stay quiet in a meeting when you witness unkind behavior and should have said something. You take the credit because the opportunity was there. You cancel the 1-on-1s to prepare a presentation that makes you look good upstairs. You ignore requests for help that have nothing in it for you. You tell yourself you’ll be different when you get to the next level.

And then you get there. And you’re not different. You’re just busier.

What Actually Works

A few things that consistently don’t work:

Taking credit for other people’s work. It can get you ahead short term. You’ll make enemies who have long memories.

Being warm to the people above you and cold to everyone else. People notice. They always notice.

Withholding information to protect your position. It might feel smart. It erodes trust in ways that are very hard to rebuild.

What does work:

Ask for feedback. Often. From different people. Research suggests around 95% of us believe we’re self-aware. The actual number is closer to 10 to 15%. Your blind spots are probably not a secret to the people around you.

Get specific with your manager about what success looks like in their eyes. A real conversation: what would make you say WOW at the end of this year?

Be proactive. Spot problems. Suggest solutions. Just be careful not to go around your manager to do it. As Robert Greene once wrote: never outshine the master.

The Trap of the First Few Years

Most managers I work with are newly promoted. Zero to four years in the role.

In that period, the temptation is strong to prove you deserve it. By working harder than everyone else. By knowing more. By being visible.

But the shift from expert to leader asks for something different. Doing less. Enabling more. Giving fewer answers. Asking better questions.

Those who learn that early grow faster than those who spend years trying to remain the best individual contributor. That’s exactly where good leadership training makes a difference. Not as a one-off event, but as a structured process that builds lasting behavioral change.

One Question Before You Go

Think of someone you genuinely admire. Someone who got really far. And who somehow stayed warm, stayed real. Someone you’d just call, simply: a good person.

You probably have someone in mind right now.

Ask yourself what it is about them that makes you think of them that way.

I’d be willing to bet it has nothing to do with their title.

This is one of the things I work on with managers in 1-on-1 leadership coaching. Not just how to perform better. But who you want to be while you’re doing it.

Curious whether this resonates with where you are right now? Let’s find out. Plan your free introduction here. Zero obligation.

How to Build a Leadership Pipeline Internally (Before You Need One)

David Buirs | Leadership & Executive Coach

How to Build a Leadership Pipeline Internally (Before You Need One)

David Buirs is a leadership coach and management trainer based in Amsterdam. This article explains how to recognise and develop leadership potential within your team, why doing so also strengthens your own career as a manager, and which pitfalls to avoid. Written for managers with 0 to 4 years of leadership experience.

Two years of solid work. One question you weren't ready for. The promotion goes to someone else.

It happens more than people talk about.

And the strange part is, it had nothing to do with your performance. Your work was good. Your manager knew it. But when they asked who would take over your team, there was no one ready.

So the timing wasn't right. Maybe next time.

No one told you that building a leadership pipeline internally is also building your own career.

So here's what that can look like in practice.

What You're Actually Looking For

Start thinking about one or two people on your team who might have the instincts for it. And "it" here doesn't mean the best technical skills.

It means the human stuff.

Can they communicate when things get uncomfortable? Do they pull people together or pull away? Do others feel good after a conversation with them? Does the energy in the room go up a little when they're in it?

Connection. Teamwork. A positive influence on morale. The ability to motivate someone on a bad day.

That's what you're actually looking for when you want to develop leadership potential from within.

What Happens When You Start Investing in Them

When you start investing in those people, you'll see the results fairly quickly.

You have someone capable covering the team when you're on holiday. Someone you can genuinely delegate to when you're stretched. And people who feel developed tend to grow faster, stay longer, and enjoy their work more.

That last part is easy to underestimate.

This is exactly the kind of work I support managers with through management training. Helping teams develop from the inside out, rather than relying on external hires every time a leadership gap opens up.

One Thing Worth Keeping in Mind

If you're thinking about more than one candidate, be careful with how that lands in the team.

The moment people sense a competition, things get complicated. Building a leadership pipeline internally should feel like growth. Not a race.

The Bigger Picture

The technical side of leadership is changing fast. AI is taking on more of that work every year. What teams will need from their managers going forward is the part that can't be automated. Coaching. Real listening. Clear communication.

The managers who are already developing these qualities in their people — and in themselves — will be the ones who are ready when the next opportunity opens up.

If you're early in your leadership journey and want to work on this, leadership coaching is one way to get there with more clarity and less guesswork.

Unless you started your role only months ago, take a few minutes to think about this today.

When a senior role opens up, you'll have an answer ready this time.

Interested or curious? Let's chat. Plan your free introduction here. Zero obligation.

Dealing with Unrealistic Expectations as Manager

David Buirs | Leadership & Executive Coach

Dealing With Unrealistic Expectations as a Manager

David Buirs is a leadership coach based in Amsterdam who works with managers and leaders at all levels on dealing with unrealistic expectations at work. This article helps leaders distinguish between demands that are structurally unreasonable and situations where they themselves are the bottleneck. Practical conversation scripts and prioritization strategies make the difference concrete.

Your calendar is full. The expectations are high. And no matter how hard you work, it never feels like enough.

This does not go away with more experience. Many of the leaders I work with are in the same bind after ten years as they were in their first management role. The pressure shifts. The expectations grow. But the feeling stays the same.

Dealing with unrealistic expectations as a manager is one of the most underestimated challenges in any leadership role.

The pressure exists at every level

As a leader, you get pulled from both sides.

Your team needs you. They need decisions, direction, and someone who shows up when things get complicated.

Your own manager, your director, or your board wants results. Progress. Proof that your approach is working. Organizations regularly skip essential management training, assuming their leaders can simply handle the pressure.

And you stand in between. Trying to do right by everyone at once.

Is it unrealistic, or are you the bottleneck?

This is the question most leaders avoid. Because the answer is sometimes uncomfortable.

The expectations may be unrealistic if:

  • You do not have the resources that other teams or leaders at your level have.
  • Timelines ignore dependencies that are outside your control.
  • Your team is understaffed or structurally under-resourced.
  • You are being asked to fix problems that existed long before you took the role.

You may be the bottleneck if:

  • You are constantly busy but rarely finish anything strategic.
  • You are doing work your team could handle.
  • You have not delegated anything meaningful in the past month.
  • You keep postponing difficult conversations because they feel uncomfortable.

Both can be true at the same time. The expectations can be too high and you can still work more effectively. Getting clear on that distinction before you have the conversation makes a real difference.

How do you talk to your manager about this?

This is the conversation most people avoid. You do not want to come across as weak. You do not want to make excuses. You want to figure it out yourself.

But staying quiet does not solve anything. Start from what you want to achieve, not from what is going wrong.

A script that works: “I want to talk about priorities. I want to make sure I am focused on what matters most to you this quarter. Can we align on what success looks like for me right now?”

You are not saying “this is too much.” You are saying “I want to do this well. Help me understand what that means.”

Then get specific: “Right now I am juggling three major things. If X is the priority, I want to make sure I have the space to do it properly. That might mean Y moves back, or we organize Z differently. What makes the most sense to you?”

You show that you understand the trade-offs. You are managing expectations, not complaining.

What you negotiate, and what you just do

Pick your battles when dealing with unrealistic expectations as a manager.

Do not negotiate on:

  • Being present for your team when it counts.
  • Following through on commitments you have made.
  • Taking responsibility for the outcomes of your team.

Do negotiate on:

  • Timelines that ignore reality.
  • Taking on new projects when your plate is already full.
  • Work your team can handle but you are still doing yourself.
  • Meetings where your presence adds little.

When the problem is you

Sometimes the expectations are not unrealistic. You are just not leading as effectively as you could be.

Signs that might be the case:

  • You are the only one who can make certain decisions, even small ones.
  • Your team waits for you instead of acting independently.
  • You keep putting off difficult conversations, hoping things improve on their own.
  • Your agenda is filled by others, not by you.

If this sounds familiar, leadership coaching is often a logical next step. Not because something is wrong, but because getting an outside perspective is how good leaders keep getting better.

It takes honesty to see this in yourself. But it is fixable.

Control starts with an honest picture

Leaders who handle high expectations well do not have less pressure than you. They have a clearer picture of what they can take on, what they delegate, and where they say no.

That clarity does not come automatically. It takes reflection. Sometimes it takes someone holding up a mirror.

But it starts with being willing to ask the question: is this unrealistic, or am I?

Start here

This week:

  1. Write down what you think your manager or leadership team expects from you. Concrete, not vague.
  2. Schedule a conversation to check whether you are right.
  3. Identify one thing you need, clarity, space, or resources, and ask for it directly.

You do not have to carry the pressure alone. You do need to understand it.

Interested or curious? Let’s chat. Plan your free introduction here. Zero obligation.

Why you freeze during tough conversations.

Leadership & Executive Coach | David Buirs

This article analyzes the physical stress response managers experience during difficult conversations. It provides practical self-regulation techniques based on neuroscience to reduce tension. The content establishes Personal Leadership as the foundation for effective communication.

You are standing at the door of the meeting room. You’ve rehearsed the script in your head three times, yet your chest feels tight and your breathing is shallow. You are about to deliver a confrontational message, and your body is in survival mode.

This isn’t a lack of preparation; it’s a biological reflex. Your system perceives social conflict as a physical threat. The urge to tense your muscles and shut down mentally is a defense mechanism that might protect you from pain, but it also isolates you from your team.

Personal Leadership starts with your own biology

Real leadership requires the courage to stay open when everything in you wants to armor up. We call this Personal Leadership. When you close your heart to protect yourself, you don’t just block the tension—you block the connection needed to achieve a result. You become a transmitter instead of a partner.

The key to less tension during difficult conversations lies in recognizing this physical constriction. The moment you feel your chest tighten, force yourself to release that tension. Relax your shoulders. Slow your breath. This is not a vague exercise; it is pure neuroscience to pull your brain out of ‘fight-or-flight’ mode.

The power of grounded confrontation

If you remain open, you unconsciously compel the other person to do the same. People sense whether you are speaking from fear or authority. By not suppressing the tension, but physically relaxing into it, you create space for an honest dialogue. You will notice team resistance decreases as soon as you stop building walls.

Whether it’s a performance review or correcting a senior expert, you don’t have to eliminate the fear. You only need to learn how to stay present with it without cramping up. That is the difference between a manager putting out fires and a leader who transforms.

Do you want to dive deeper into your own patterns? During a leadership coaching trajectory, we look together at what is still holding you back from facing confrontation with total composure.

Schedule a free introduction call here to discuss the possibilities for your context.

How do you feel more appreciated at work

Leadership & Executive Coach | David Buirs

How do you feel more appreciated at work?

David Buirs is a leadership coach in the Amsterdam region. This article explores how to feel more appreciated at work and what you can put in motion yourself when appreciation is missing. You will read why this feeling affects so many people, what research shows, and get a practical ten-day exercise to start a culture of appreciation in your own environment.

You drive home after a long week. You've finished a tough project. Nobody noticed. Or they did notice, but said nothing. You don't know which of the two it was, and honestly you don't know which is worse.

This feeling shows up for many people at some point in their careers. Not only junior employees. Senior leaders and directors with decades of experience know it too. The need to feel that your work matters doesn't disappear once you get a title.

The question isn't whether you're allowed to feel this. You are, and it's deeply normal and human. The question is what you're going to do with it.

What the research shows

Research by O.C. Tanner found that 79% of people who quit their jobs cite lack of appreciation as the main reason for leaving.

That's a striking number. Not pay, not career progression, not conflict with the boss. The biggest reason people leave is that their work stayed invisible.

It says something about the nature of work. We don't only work for money or for goals, we always work in the presence of others. And when appreciation from those others stays absent for what we do, the work feels hollow, even when we're paid well for it.

Why this runs deeper than a compliment

The need to be seen is wired into us. We're social animals. Dependent on each other. Loneliness is even more harmful than a smoking habit, that's how essential connection is for us.

A large part of how we form our sense of self-worth comes from the responses we get from the people around us. When that response stays absent, we start doubting our work, even when we know rationally that we're doing well.

That's why the absence of recognition lands so hard. It rarely comes down to a missing gift or formal bonus. It comes down to the quiet confirmation that you're there, and that what you do is registering somewhere.

Why waiting backfires

The obvious reaction is to wait until others notice. That sounds reasonable. Good work deserves recognition, and you shouldn't have to chase it.

But waiting has a cost. The longer it goes on, the more you start framing your own work around what's missing. Every effort gets weighed against the recognition that didn't come, and slowly that wears down your motivation.

Waiting also changes how you show up around others. People can feel it when someone is quietly keeping score. Relationships get stiffer, more guarded. The exact opposite of where you wanted to go.

Your feeling isn't weird or wrong. The way out, though, is rarely more waiting.

The reciprocity of seeing

Something I keep seeing confirmed in my work as a leadership coach: the people most respected in their teams are often the ones who most actively express appreciation themselves.

That's not coincidence. When you genuinely see what others do, you train your own eye for it. You start noticing more sharply what's going well around you, and you build a feel for the qualities of the people near you. At the same time you create a field where it becomes more normal to recognize each other.

Taking the lead here is a form of personal leadership. You move the focus away from what you lack toward what you contribute. In practice, appreciation often comes back your way too, not as a transaction, but as a natural consequence of a changed pattern.

A ten-day challenge

If you want to try this seriously, here's a concrete exercise. Over the next ten days, express genuine appreciation to three different colleagues. Someone above you, someone below you, someone next to you. The spread matters.

Sincerity is non-negotiable. Spontaneity isn't. A few targeted questions usually get you there:

Who recently went beyond what was strictly required for you? What load came off your shoulders because of it?

Which colleague has a quality you genuinely value? Patience, sharp analysis, the ability to bring calm to tense meetings. Name what it is and why it matters to you.

Who has improved the atmosphere in the team lately? What concrete result came out of that?

Who gave you advice that made a real difference? Acknowledge that the advice landed.

If you can't say it in the moment, write it down. Send a message. Bring it up in your next 1:1. The format matters less than actually saying it.

If you're a manager

For managers and leaders there's an extra layer of responsibility. Your appreciation carries more weight than a peer's, simply because of how hierarchy works. People watch what you notice and what you let slide.

A common trap: you think something, but you don't say it. The thought passes, the work moves on, and the employee hears nothing. For you it's an unspoken compliment. For them it's silence.

Make it a habit. Not a weekly checkbox round, but a natural reflex. When you see something that lands, say it. And say it specifically. "Good job" is thin. "I thought the way you handled that client conversation was strong, especially when you pushed back on the budget question" lands differently.

As AI takes over more technical tasks, the human part of work becomes more valuable. Genuinely seeing what others do may be one of the most human acts available in a work setting. It's something that sets you apart as a leader.

When appreciation stays structurally absent

Sometimes you do all this and little changes. You give, you invest, you pay attention. Nothing comes back, and the culture doesn't move with you.

Then there's a different conversation. Something is stuck in the broader dynamic. Maybe leadership is closed off or focused mostly on what's wrong. Maybe the company culture doesn't fit what you care about. Maybe you're in a place that no longer fits you.

Those aren't questions a single blog post can resolve. They are questions worth taking seriously when you notice your influence isn't landing anywhere. Looking critically at your own leadership style, or at the environment you work in, is part of that.

A final thought

Appreciation isn't a luxury. It's how people experience that their work matters. Waiting for someone else to see it can slowly wear on you. Setting it in motion yourself gives you back some of that agency.

One caution: don't do it to get something back. People sense the difference between sincere recognition and strategic recognition within ten seconds. Do it because you genuinely think it's deserved. What you get back will come, or it won't, and either way you're fine.

Want to look at this in your own situation? Coaching for managers helps you see patterns like this more clearly and put them in motion. For senior leaders, executive coaching offers a deeper layer. And for organizations that want to build a culture of appreciation more structurally, a leadership development program offers the framework where this can land.

Plan a free introduction via contact. No sales. Just a good conversation.

The Mindset Shift That Transforms Leadership: Moving Beyond Criticism

“That’s not gonna work, because…”

I used to say that often. Made me feel good. Like I was the one who caught what others didn’t.

I did it even with the teams I was leading.

Lots of self-reflection and feedback later, I saw what I was actually doing: trying to sound smart. Point out the flaw, drop criticism, walk away. No real contribution. It led me to a leadership mindset shift.

Spotting risks is still important. Some people lean too optimistic, and having someone who notices the weak spots keeps things balanced. But without ideas for what will work, you’re not helping anyone move forward. Guiltyyyyy.

Now I try to pause and ask myself:
“What part of this could actually work?”
“How can we tweak the part that doesn’t work, so that it does?”

It shifts the whole dynamic of the conversation. More challenging, but also much more rewarding. Moves problems forward, builds more ownership within the teams you lead.

Less I, more We.

Ready for your leadership mindset shift? Schedule a free introduction call here: https://davidbuirs.com/contact/ and let’s chat.

How to Handle Criticism at Work

David Buirs | Leadership & Executive Coach

How to handle criticism at work… It’s a question I often get. My reply: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘄𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗹 𝗶𝘁?

Two people hear the same sentence from their boss. One feels judged. The other feels motivated. The words are identical. The reaction isn’t. Why?

Because the label, criticism or feedback, can’t be found in the words. It’s created in the mind of the receiver.

This is where the real power lies. You decide how much weight to give feedback. Some of it will be clumsy. Some will be unfair. Some will be pure gold. If you can sort, not absorb everything, you win. To take what serves you, and let the rest pass.

We often forget no one is perfect. Not you, not me, not the person giving feedback. We’re all trying our best, often imperfectly. Holding onto the illusion that you should look flawless makes feedback feel like a personal attack. Drop the illusion, and feedback becomes easier to hear.

Because in the end, the leaders who grow are not the ones who protect their image. They’re the ones who keep asking, “What can I learn here?” Over time, that choice changes everything.

Of course, this change doesn’t happen overnight. Curiosity is a muscle, and muscles strengthen slowly. So here’s an invitation: over the next five months, practice trading a little defensiveness for a little more curiosity each time feedback comes your way.

𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝟬 – 𝟭𝟬𝟬% 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲: “I don’t think that’s accurate.”
𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝟭 – 𝟴𝟬% 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 / 𝟮𝟬% 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀: “I don’t really agree with that… but can you give me an example?”
𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝟮 – 𝟲𝟬% 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 / 𝟰𝟬% 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀: “That feels off to me. What do you see that makes you say it?”
𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝟯 – 𝟰𝟬% 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 / 𝟲𝟬% 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀: “It’s hard to hear, though I think there may be truth in it. Can you tell me more?”
𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝟰 – 𝟮𝟬% 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 / 𝟴𝟬% 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀: “I hadn’t thought of it that way. What else are you noticing?”
𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝟱 – 𝟬% 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 / 𝟭𝟬𝟬% 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀: “That’s helpful. What’s one thing I could do differently next time?”

So…how to handle criticism at work? With curiosity.

Five months of practice might feel small now, but in five years, it could be the reason your career looks entirely different.