Tough talk can be, well, tough. But it's also critical for ensuring your team is working at its best. Learn what holds managers back and how to remove the block that may be hurting your bottom line.

We live in polarizing times and it’s easy for conversation to lead to topics that spark high passions—from politics and climate change to DEI, immigration, or broadly defined human-centric leadership.

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

A difficult colleague may be a warning signal, not the problem. Learn how you can read persistent friction as data about ...

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 ...

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 ...

When the world of work turned upside down in 2020, we quickly adapted to Zoom calls, Slack threads and digital whiteboards. At first, this newfound flexibility felt liberating. But as we settle into a ...

Sometimes you need to have a difficult conversation with a coworker. Perhaps they did something to upset you, or perhaps they engage in an ongoing behavior that is troublesome. These conversations are ...

These six books can help ease tensions. By Louisa Kamps Earlier in my career, I worked for a hot-tempered woman who, according to an office rumor, had thrown a shoe at one of my predecessors. Rattled ...