101 Tough Conversations to Have with Employees: A Manager's Guide to Addressing Performance, Conduct, and Discipline Challenges

Inappropriate attire, lateness, sexually offensive behavior, not to mention productivity and communication issues ... these are just a few of the uncomfortable topics bosses must sometimes discuss with their employees. 101 Tough Conversations to Have with Employees offers realistic sample dialogues managers can use to facilitate clear, direct interactions with their employees, helping them sidestep potential awkwardness and meet issues head-on. This practical, solution-oriented book walks readers through some of the most common—as well as the most serious—employee problems they are likely to encounter. Covering everything from substandard performance reviews to personal hygiene to termination meetings, this handy guide helps managers treat their people with dignity, focusing not just on what to say but also on how to say it. This helpful book provides proven techniques managers can use to protect themselves and their organizations...and get the very best from their people.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent for someone fairly new to management

By Just Me in MI - June 12, 2011

After years of being very content to be "behind the scenes", I was promoted to the Director of a division. I now have more than 30 people that I manage. Getting 30 people to produce great work product is hard enough, but "life" always sneaks in and can bring everything to a grinding halt. This book has been very helpful in showing me how to approach subjects that I really don't want to approach with people. Despite explaining what "casual dress" means dozens of times over the last few years, when I said everyone could have "casual dress" for the summer, someone suddenly thought that meant threadbare t-shirts and flip-flops. And that may be totally acceptable in some areas, but we're in an office building where security would definitely look at you twice if you were wearing something like that! We have office romances that have developed. We have people who used to be really great at their job and now are slipping. And on top of all of that, I still have 80 hours of work to do... read more

Great for any manager

By B. Armbruster - September 24, 2009

This is a must have book for any beginner or seasoned manager, director, executive. Sometimes you do not always know how to put the right words together that are legally sound and that deliver the appropriate message without making your employee feel uncomfortable. This book has TONS of examples to get you through even the most awkward of situations. GREAT RESOURCE!!!

Another outstanding book by Paul Falcone!

By VDF - October 11, 2009

101 Tough Conversations to Have with Employees is an exceptionally intuitive book - It's as if the author were in the room at the time of the meeting! Falcone has an uncanny sense of knowing just how people will respond, and although he states in the introduction that "It's not just what you say but how you say it," the truth is that the "what" of his message is extremely important. He shows how to maintain an employee's dignity and respect while protecting your company legally, so you really can't ask for more. An exceptionally impressive work.