When She Had to Have a Difficult Conversation With an Employee

My former employer at Cinamour Entertainment told me that I was not dressing properly for the job. I felt that my clothes were clean, neat and decent to go to the office yet she kept insisting that I change my wardrobe. I felt harassed so I went to her higher up and indeed he said that my clothing was fine for the job. It was business/casual. I had a good conversation with her where we were both professional yet in disagreement, however, since her boss said I was fine that ended all problems.

Once I had to let a staff member go. Being the one to end someone's employment is hard. When you have a disgruntled worker who causes conflict and confusion, it can make the entire team hard to manage.

I feel one of the hardest leadership moments is when an employee says, "I don't like the way management is handling this situation." I've learned that instead of becoming defensive, it's important to listen and ask, "Please tell me what concerns you and how you feel the situation could be handled differently."