We need to have THE talk

I have tried to recall over the last several weeks when my parents, assuming it was my mother, had THE talk with me and my sister. You know the one I’m talking about, THE big one. I cannot recall if I was 9, 10, 11…..who knows, that was a long time ago!

Anyway I have been avoiding having the same conversation with my 9 year old, thinking he’s too young, he’s my BABY and all those other “mommy” typical responses because I would much rather be an ostrich and continue to remind him that he can’t get married until he’s 40. That’s perfectly reasonable right?

However the need for THE TALK has become more and more apparent in recent weeks, especially with lovely children in school who are probably more educated that I am on the topic thanks to their tv allowances and the introduction of a new baby into my son’s life (no I AM NOT having a baby, don’t start that rumor!).

So we have set aside some time to make sure that we educate him with the basics and make him comfortable with the topic so that hopefully when the big things come up he’s still comfortable with talking with his parents about the questions he is sure to have as he gets older.

All of this to say that not only have I run 100mph in the other direction from this talk, I have scaled mountains, hidden in trees and done everything humanly possible to avoid speaking about it with a 9 year old. Seriously, a 9 year old is intimidating me!

And it made me think, how much do we as professionals avoid difficult conversations or confrontation because we don’t want to pick up the phone or go to someone’s office and admit to wrongdoing or rightfully “man up” and tell the other person he/she is wrong? And is that really any better than me avoiding sex talk with a pre-pubescent boy?

As professionals I think we have to be willing to talk to people, even about the disagreeable stuff, maybe especially about the disagreeable stuff, in order to move forward and past those things that become mental and physical road blocks to success in business.

In other words, if you don’t tell someone they erred, or they don’t tell you, then how will you or they know? Are there nice ways to have these conversations, hands down yes there is. Is that method via email or text? Probably not. Both email and text messages are so easy to take out of context and what was an honest concern for someone’s ability to complete a task without assistance because you see them drowning becomes an attack on their abilities it was never intended to be.

So I would encourage you to take the time and actually talk to people, care about what they say and even if you disagree at least appreciate the time it took for them to speak because let’s face it time is probably our most precious commodity.

And if you have any pointers for a confused mommy who needs to have THE TALK pass them on!

-Leah Poole, CEO of the Liberty County Chamber & CVB