By special request: How your most difficult relative can help you hone a difficult business skill

This post is part of our Monthly Tips series.

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It’s that time of year again. The holidays are in full swing and year-end celebrations are approaching at lightning speed, which means a high probability you’re dreading being with a certain family member. Or two. This week’s tip is being reprised by special request, and with some new resources.

Are you talking yourself out of the conversation you need to have?

This post is part of our Monthly-ish Tips series.

Are you talking yourself out of the conversation you need to have

We all know it’s important to be willing to tell clients what they need to hear, even when that may not be what they want to hear. I’ve written before about how to deliver difficult messages so that the communication is positive, productive, and trust-building. Today I want to talk about the ways we humans cleverly talk ourselves out of having these tough conversations in the first place.

Client feedback: The kinds of questions you should be asking (and probably aren’t)

This post is part of our Monthly-ish Tips series.

As a trusted advisor, you give your clients real feedback

A few months ago, I wrote about how to ask for client feedback if you want real feedback, not polite feedback. (CliffsNotes version: you have to create a strong pull for critique.) I also griped about feedback requests being too focused on task rather than relationship, deferring that to another post. This is said post.

Calling all shared services professionals: Are you minding your mindset?

This post is part of our Weekly Tips series.

A few tips ago I wrote about why it’s critical, as a services professional, to see your own value as more than just a trusted problem-solver. I shared the four levels of relationship as a framework to help. Recently, I’ve been revisiting a variation of that model that a colleague and I created specifically for anyone in a shared services (or internal consulting) role. It provides a way to re-think your value, and find proactive ways to consistently be seen as more than just an order taker.