Handling Difficult Client Conversations

One of the toughest tests of your leadership isn't how you handle success. It's how you navigate disagreement. I noticed this in the SEAL Teams and in my work with executives: Those who master difficult conversations outperform their peers not just in team satisfaction, but in decision quality and innovation. The problem? Most of us enter difficult conversations with our nervous system already in a threat state. Our brain literally can't access its best thinking when flooded with stress hormones. Through years of working with high-performing teams, I've developed what I call The Mindful Disagreement Framework. Here's how it works: 1. Pause Before Engaging (10 seconds) When triggered by disagreement, take a deliberate breath. This small reset activates your prefrontal cortex instead of your reactive limbic system. Your brain physically needs this transition to think clearly. 2. Set Psychological Safety (30 seconds) Start with: "I appreciate your perspective and want to understand it better. I also have some different thoughts to share." This simple opener signals respect while creating space for different viewpoints. 3. Lead with Curiosity, Not Certainty (2 minutes) Ask at least three questions before stating your position. This practice significantly increases the quality of solutions because it broadens your understanding before narrowing toward decisions. 4. Name the Shared Purpose (1 minute) "We both want [shared goal]. We're just seeing different paths to get there." This reminds everyone you're on the same team, even with different perspectives. 5. Separate Impact from Intent (30 seconds) "When X happened, I felt Y, because Z. I know that wasn't your intention." This formula transforms accusations into observations. Last month, I used this exact framework in a disagreement. The conversation that could have damaged our relationship instead strengthened it. Not because we ended up agreeing, but because we disagreed respectfully. (It may or may not have been with my kid!) The most valuable disagreements often feel uncomfortable. The goal isn't comfort. It's growth. What difficult conversation are you avoiding right now? Try this framework tomorrow and watch what happens to your leadership influence. ___ Follow me, Jon Macaskill for more leadership focused content. And feel free to repost if someone in your life needs to hear this. 📩 Subscribe to my newsletter here → https://lnkd.in/g9ZFxDJG You'll get FREE access to my 21-Day Mindfulness & Meditation Course packed with real, actionable strategies to lead with clarity, resilience, and purpose.

It takes 7 seconds to lose a client's trust. (Sometimes with words that seemed perfectly reasonable.) I've watched smart professionals lose deals they deserved to win. Strong relationships. Perfect fit solutions. Gone in seconds. Because here's what nobody tells you about client conversations: Your words can either open doors or close them. After training 50,000+ client-facing professionals… I've heard every phrase that makes clients pull back. The pushy questions. The tone-deaf assumptions. The pressure that breaks trust instantly. 10 phrases that push clients away: ❌ "Do you have a price range in mind?" ❌ "When can we close this deal?" ❌ "Let me tell you why we're the best." ❌ "Are you ready to buy today?" ❌ "Who else are you talking to?" ❌ "I just wanted to check in.” ❌ "You really need what we offer." ❌ "Let me know if you have any questions." ❌ "This is a limited-time offer." ❌ "Can you introduce me to your boss?" Each one risks sounding like: "I care more about my quota than your success." Now 10 that build partnerships instead: ✅ "What outcomes are most important to you?" ✅ "What would success look like for you?" ✅ "Would it help if I shared how we've helped others?" ✅ "What's your timeline for making progress?" ✅ "What's most important when choosing a partner?" ✅ "I had an idea about your goals. Want to hear it?" ✅ "What challenges are you facing that we might help with?" ✅ "Would it help if we scheduled time to dive deeper?" ✅ "What priorities are driving your timeline?" ✅ "Who else should be part of this conversation?" Notice the pattern? Every better phrase puts the client's agenda first. Not yours. Because when you stop selling and start solving, everything shifts. Clients lean in instead of pulling back. Conversations flow instead of stalling. Trust builds instead of breaking. You don't need a personality transplant. You don't need to become "salesy." You just need to change your questions. Because the truth is: Your next client conversation is either strengthening a partnership or weakening one. Your words decide which. ♻️ Valuable? Repost to help someone in your network. 📌 Follow Mo Bunnell for client-growth strategies that don’t feel like selling. Want the full cheat sheet? Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/e3qRVJRf

The ultimate tool for managing challenging colleagues and clients: calmness. I used to think professional success meant defending every point. But the most powerful response? Silence. Composure. Inner peace. When emotions run high, most people: → Let anger take control → Speak defensively → React instantly I've learned that keeping composure isn't weakness, It's wisdom. Here's what changes when you stay calm → Your words carry more weight → Your reputation grows stronger → Your decisions become clearer The next time - A colleague throws criticism your way - Your boss delivers harsh feedback - A client questions your expertise Remember Composure is your superpower. Speaking from logic, not emotion, is your path. Staying calm is your advantage. Because true professional growth isn't about who speaks the loudest, It's about who maintains their peace the longest. What triggers your emotional reactions at work? Your next career breakthrough might just lie in mastering your response to it.

Handle objections like a six-figure salesperson It’s not about talent—it’s about preparation. Here’s how to tackle objections effectively: → Anticipate common objections, plan your responses. → Reframe objections into opportunities to add value. → Practice these strategies until they become second nature. 👉 Download the PDF version here: https://buff.ly/3PK3Xbk Here are 12 common sales objections and how to respond to them: 1.) We’re already working with another vendor. ⇢ Acknowledge their loyalty and ask what they value most. ⇢ Differentiate by emphasizing areas where you outperform competitors. ⇢ Ask: “What’s one thing you wish they did better?” 2.) This isn’t a priority. ⇢ Show understanding and suggest exploring how you can prevent a specific problem later. ⇢ Ask: “Would a quick chat now help for when it does become a priority?” 3.) We don’t have the budget. ⇢ Use humor or empathy to acknowledge their constraints. ⇢ Offer a preview so they can assess if it should be on their radar for next year. ⇢ Ask: “Would that work for you?” 4.) I need to think about it. ⇢ Respect their hesitation and offer to schedule a follow-up. ⇢ Ask: “What specific questions are still on your mind?” 5.) Send me an email. ⇢ Agree but provide context to ensure relevance. ⇢ Ask: “Would these outcomes align with what you’re focused on now?” 6.) I’m not interested. ⇢ Subtly acknowledge their position while offering value. ⇢ Ask: “Would exploring this together make sense before deciding further?” 7.) Where did you have my number from? ⇢ Clarify politely and explain where you found their contact information. ⇢ Reassure them by tying your outreach to their goals. 8.) Your price is too high. ⇢ Acknowledge their concern and reframe the conversation to focus on value. ⇢ Ask: “Do you feel confident our solution would help you achieve your goals?” 9.) We’re happy with what we have. ⇢ Validate their satisfaction but share examples of clients who improved despite being content initially. ⇢ Ask: “Would you be open to exploring potential gains on your end?” 10.) Call me back in 4 months. ⇢ Agree and ask what’s expected to change in that timeframe. ⇢ Probe lightly to uncover urgency: “Would anything make it worth discussing sooner?” 11.) I’m not interested. ⇢ Acknowledge their decision and highlight how their role impacts outcomes. ⇢ Ask indirectly: “Would it make sense to explore other perspectives before deciding?” 12.) We tried something similar before, and it didn’t work. ⇢ Avoid sounding defensive and reframe the conversation by emphasizing how you’re different. ⇢ Transition back to the pitch confidently: “Let’s dive in, and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.” Preparation is the key to handling objections confidently. Save this guide, adapt these responses to fit your style, and turn challenges into opportunities. Want a high-res version of this cheat sheet? 👉 Download it here: https://buff.ly/3PK3Xbk

Stop dreading tough talks. Master them with these 21 phrases instead: I once snapped when a colleague questioned my timeline. My defensive reaction created a week of tension. That day I realized emotional responses solve nothing. They only create new problems. We've all been there: Feeling defensive Reacting without thinking Watching a simple disagreement turn into a lasting conflict But I've learned the shift from reactive to constructive changes everything ✨ 21 ways smart people handle difficult conversations: 1) Lead with Curiosity ↳ "Tell me more about your perspective on this" ↳ Questions defuse tension faster than statements 2) Name the Energy ↳ "I notice there's tension here, let's address it" ↳ Acknowledgment creates safety 3) Find Common Ground ↳ "We both want what's best for the project" ↳ Alignment before action 4) Set Clear Expectations ↳ "Here's what I need, what do you need?" ↳ Clarity prevents future conflict 5) Pause the Escalation ↳ "Let's take a step back and break this down" ↳ Breathing room creates solutions 6) Mirror Their Language ↳ Use their exact key words when responding ↳ Matching builds instant connection 7) Acknowledge Impact ↳ "I see how this affects your priorities" ↳ Understanding beats defense 8) Own Your Part ↳ "Here's where I could have done better" ↳ Accountability creates trust 9) Focus Forward ↳ "How can we prevent this next time?" ↳ Solutions beat blame 10) Check Understanding ↳ "Here's what I'm hearing - am I getting it right?" ↳ Clarity prevents escalation 11) Create Space ↳ "Let's revisit this when we're both fresh" ↳ Time transforms tension 12) Stay on Topic ↳ "Let's focus on solving this specific issue" ↳ Boundaries keep talks productive 13) Express Confidence ↳ "I know we can figure this out together" ↳ Belief shifts energy 14) Share Context ↳ "Here's what led to my decision" ↳ Understanding reduces resistance 15) Invite Solutions ↳ "What ideas do you have for this?" ↳ Collaboration beats control 16) Set Timelines ↳ "When should we check in on this?" ↳ Structure creates safety 17) Validate Concerns ↳ "That's a legitimate worry - let's address it" ↳ Recognition reduces defense 18) Stay Factual ↳ "Here's what the data shows us" ↳ Evidence beats emotion 19) Close with Action ↳ "Let's clarify next steps together" ↳ Progress prevents repeat issues 20) Follow Through ↳ "As we discussed, here's what I've done" ↳ Action builds credibility 21) Document Growth ↳ "Here's how we'll work differently now" ↳ Learning beats repeating Difficult conversations aren't obstacles to success. They're the moments where true connection happens ✨ Which strategy will you try in your next challenging conversation? -- ♻️ Repost to help your network transform difficult conversations into opportunities 🔔 Follow Dr. Carolyn Frost for more practical tools to succeed with confidence

#CEOLife #CEOTalks #Collaboration #DecisionMaking "Diversity in Opinion. Unity in Decision." This is one of the thoughts that I have been working on as a leadership style to drive good Decision Making with Collaboration. In many organizations, managers/leaders by default resort to a hierarchical way of Decision Making. In some, you just get stalled while people try to get to Consensus, which is not easy (and may not be right even). Very few teams and organizations are able to build a culture where people across levels feel free and encouraged to share their views openly but then once a decision is made demonstrate true unity even if their personal view was different. Getting this balance right is critical to get to right decisions for organizations (and not individuals) and create a collaborative culture. A few thoughts that I think are great for managers and leaders to reflect on as they try to get this balance right: - Build trust and mutual respect - you have a team with different expertise and experiences to ensure you look at an issue from multiple perspectives. So build the respect for them versus consider them as threats/challengers - Maintain focus on the Organization and the larger purpose during discussions - stop that voice in your head that tries to make views others express as a challenge to your authority or intellect! That's what they are paid to bring to the table! Stay focused on thought that your job is to get the right decision for the organization - Use the debate/discussion not so much to put your idea on the table as the boss but what the priorities (and why) are for the organization that others may not fully have visibility of. Remember your role is not necessarily to give the idea but to ensure the right idea is tabled, and selected. So remove the burden of trying to come up with the best ideas but focus on thinking through the options on merit - Closing the discussion in the right way is important and you need to ensure that why the final decision is being taken on a certain way is understood by all, and that you as a team acknowledge why done of the other options were dropped explicitly (else they will keep coming back, especially if things don't go as well!!) As a managerial/leadership team, building this culture of an open dialogue/debate but unity in the decision once taken is what perhaps differentiates great teams from others. #campustalks #careerwars #leadership #leadershipdevelopment #management #mentoring #coaching #buildingcareers

Real conversations at work feel rare. Lately, in my work with employees and leaders, I’ve noticed a troubling pattern: real conversations don’t happen. Instead, people get stuck in confrontation, cynicism, or silence. This pattern reminded me of a powerful chart I often use with executives to talk about this. It shows that real conversations—where tough topics are discussed productively—only happen when two things are present: high psychological safety and strong relationships. Too often, teams fall into one of these traps instead: (a) Cynicism (low safety, low relationships)—where skepticism and disengagement take over. (b) Omerta (low safety, high relationships)—where people stay silent to keep the peace. (c) Confrontation (high safety, low relationships)—where people speak up but without trust, so nothing moves forward. There are three practical steps to create real conversations that turn constructive discrepancies into progress: (1) Create a norm of curiosity. Ask, “What am I missing?” instead of assuming you’re right. Curiosity keeps disagreements productive instead of combative. (2) Balance candor with care. Being direct is valuable—but only when paired with genuine respect. People engage when they feel valued, not attacked. (3) Make it safe to challenge ideas. Model the behavior yourself: invite pushback, thank people for disagreeing, and reward those who surface hard truths. When safety is high, people contribute without fear. Where do you see teams getting stuck? What has helped you foster real conversations? #Leadership #PsychologicalSafety #Communication #Trust #Teamwork #Learning #Disagreement

Some people don’t play fair at work. They play to win, and they weaponize perception to do it. They bait your emotions. They move the goalposts. They delegate complete chaos. They create confusion, then call it collaboration. And quitting isn’t always an option. Especially when you're rising. Here are 7 strategies to protect your power: 1. Silence is a strategy. Don’t rush to fill the space. Pauses signal self-trust. They expose games people try to play. i.e: When a peer tries to get you to defend your work in a meeting, don’t explain everything. Just say, “That’s noted,” and move on. Let their tone do the work of revealing the dynamics to others. 2. Divest your emotional labor. You’re not responsible for how other people feel about your boundaries, tone, or clarity. i.e: If your manager is in a mood or being short with you, don’t overfunction to smooth it over. Stick to the facts, keep your update short, and end the meeting on time. 3. Outshine the master carefully. Power loves proximity, so don’t disappear. Share your wins in public—but pair them with a compliment. i.e: If your director doesn’t like being outshined, say in a team update, “Thanks to [Director’s Name] for the support on this, I was able to close the contract two weeks ahead of schedule.” Tie your success to their influence while keeping your name attached to the win. 4. Speak to the pattern, not the person. Address repeat behaviors in clean, direct ways. Stick to the facts. i.e: If a colleague keeps delaying deliverables that impact you, say, “This is the third time the file has come late, and it’s caused downstream delays. I want to get ahead of this for next time.” It’s hard to argue with patterns. 5. Don’t reveal your intentions or your personal business. Say what you need, then stop talking. i.e: If you're asking for a project switch, say, “I’d like to be considered for X. I believe it’s a better use of my current strengths.” No need to mention burnout, your manager’s issues, or private goals. 6.Control access to yourself in levels. Not every colleague gets the same version of you. Boundaries are a form of emotional regulation. i.e: You don’t need to keep explaining your every idea to a critical coworker. Instead, share top-line updates in writing and save your full thinking for trusted allies or public spaces where misinterpretation is harder. 7. Exit the game entirely. Sometimes the real power move is not playing at all. This is how you protect your peace without losing your position. * If you resonate with this post, please repost it to your Linkedin page.* However, if you're a business coach, career coach etc., do not share this post or assume that tagging me in business groups, business pages or simply looking to grow your biz pages or on direct pages serves as permission. Do not post without my explicit permission*

I have had the hardest time dealing with criticism. Initially, I used to get defensive but then I started to ignore it. But while growing, I have also realise that if you really want to grow then criticism is the only component that can help you. It shows the gaps and blind spots and draws your attention to areas that need improvement. This is what I have learned the hard way: → Earlier, I used to misinterpret criticism as a question of my abilities. When I started taking feedback positively, I saw improvement in my work, leading to more client satisfaction. → Growth happens when you are open to improvement in the areas where you’re lacking. The moment you accept your mistakes and work on them, that’s when the real growth begins. → Whether the criticism you receive is genuine or rude, I always make a point of saying “Thank you.” Expressing gratitude to your most negative critics can leave a lasting impact and maintain your humility. I have also started to ask “How can I improve?” much more often. This is not a plot or a random question to me. I genuinely believe in asking this. Nobody is perfect and we all have room to improve, so always ask this to your clients. This has helped me convert people who were jealous of me into people who like what I do. If you want to be in the top 1% of people, then learn to take feedback gracefully. Have you ever faced criticism? How did you deal with them? #graphicdesigner

"𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘶𝘴𝘩, 𝘸𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘴𝘩 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳." It’s an unspoken agreement in workplaces everywhere. Are you unknowingly igniting resistance instead of sparking change? 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗼𝗼 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗱
 At City Hospital (a pseudonym used to protect confidentiality), the CEO, “Juliette Garnier” (also a pseudonym), believed decisive action would save the day. Faced with a funding crisis, she enforced a 10% budget cut across departments. Her intent? Keep the hospital afloat. The result? Chaos. Her leadership team froze in silence, employees raged in the corridors, and nurses threatened a strike over unsafe working conditions. Garnier had unknowingly stepped into what I call The 𝙋𝙪𝙨𝙝 𝘽𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣: * 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 = 𝗘𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘀 * 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 = 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 The harder you push, the harder people push back. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲
 Resistance isn’t about rejecting change. It’s about rejecting the way change is imposed. When people feel ignored, undervalued, or strong-armed, their silence or anger signals mistrust and resentment. The more forceful the push, the stronger the resistance grows. 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻
 Garnier recognised the pattern and shifted her approach. Instead of enforcing change, she invited her team to co-create solutions. Within weeks, the same employees who had resisted her became her strongest allies, crafting a plan that cut costs without compromising care. The strike was called off, and trust was restored. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 
Leaders who force change light fires that burn bridges. Those who nudge—inviting collaboration and listening deeply—build lasting trust and sustainable results. Are you lighting fires or building bridges? Would love to hear your views: What strategies have worked for you to overcome resistance and inspire collaboration? 📚 For a systemic lens to creating lasting change, explore the ideas in my book, 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙠.