Five Crucial Conversations to Secure Your Career

The following is a guest blog by Joseph Grenny…

In a recent poll, we found that 1 in 3 people believe their job is at risk. But despite their fears, these worriers are doing very little to secure their career in this volatile economy. Rather than worry silently, these people can increase their confidence and job security by holding five simple and straightforward conversations with their manager:

1. Past practices – Ask how layoffs have been handled in the past. Is advance notice given? Are cutbacks across the board or targeted? How are the decisions made?
2. Compensation surprises – Ask if the company will distribute bonuses or annual raises as usual, or will there be changes?
3. Risk levels – Ask how likely there is to be a layoff in your division or function. An open forum or meeting with executives or managers can be a great place to ask these questions.
4. Boss support – Find out where you stand with your supervisor. What skills, job changes, projects or other actions would make you less dispensable?
5. Conversation with yourself – What can you do now to prepare yourself to survive a layoff?

Knowing the right conversations is one thing, but actually holding them is another. Here are a few tips on how to hold these conversations effectively.
• Reverse your thinking. Motivate yourself to speak up by thinking first about the risks of not holding these crucial conversations rather than the discomfort of holding them.
• Master your emotions. If you approach your boss calmly and with respect, he or she is more likely to sympathize with your questions and be more liberal with information you need.
• Make others feel safe. Assure your boss of your positive intentions and your respect for him or her. When others feel respected and trust your motives for speaking to them, they let their guard down and share more openly.
• Prime. When something is tough to say, say it for others then allow them to confirm, disconfirm or modify what you say. For example, ask your boss, “If tough downsizing decisions had to be made, I’d expect you to put some of my peers higher on the list than some of us newcomers. Is that a reasonable expectation?”
• Come ready with questions. There’s nothing wrong with listing the four or five questions you have and referring to them during the conversation to ensure you’ve gathered the information you want. Do not, however, take notes. Doing so may put the other person on guard for a future legal battle and you will have cut off your source of information.

Those who step up to these five crucial conversations skillfully put themselves in a much better position to create—and control—their own future.

Joseph Grenny is the coauthor of the New York Times bestsellers, Influencer, Crucial Conversations, and Crucial Confrontations. He is also a sought-after speaker, consultant and cofounder of VitalSmarts, an innovator in corporate training and organizational performance. www.vitalsmarts.com