Crucial Skills

Plus, experience the Crucial Influence Miniseries with Joseph Grenny.

Hi John,

Last week we launched a new version of our course for leaders, Crucial Influence^®. If you’d like to learn more about this leadership course, check out the free on-demand miniseries with Crucial Influence coauthor Joseph Grenny. Learn more below.

Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue

How Can I Get My Boss to Respect My Boundaries?

by Joseph Grenny

I have been a legal secretary to a lawyer for more than 18 months. She used to stay on top of things, but recently she has become unmotivated and unresponsive. For example, I prepare letters for her review and deliver them early in the morning, but she doesn’t review them until 30 minutes before I’m due to leave the office, and then she wants me to get the letters sent out. I work full-time and have four children, and I have told her on several occasions that I cannot get letters finished that late in the day as I need to leave. I’ve tried letting her know early in the day what time I will be leaving and the deadline for getting letters to me, yet she continues to send requests at the last minute and then becomes snippy when I tell her I won’t get them done until the next day. I don’t know how to deal with her lack of motivation. What can I do?

Signed,
Legal Trouble

Congratulations. You’ve done a good job communicating your expectations and needs. You’ve laid out clearly what works for you and what doesn’t. You’ve carefully explained the reasons behind your expectations. You have given your boss ample reason to feel motivated to conform to your requests. If you have truly been as clear as you’ve said, the fact that she is not conforming means one of two things:

FEATURED

Crucial Influence Miniseries: How to Think Like a Leader

In three short videos, Crucial Influence coauthor Joseph Grenny will introduce you to the Crucial Influence Model and how you can use this model to solve your everyday leadership challenges.

Check It Out

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Nov 6–10

Crucial Conversations^®for Mastering Dialogue

Join us live online and learn how to:

Resolve conflict.
Speak your mind truthfully and tactfully.
Reach alignment when stakes are high and opinions vary.
Navigate the most important interactions at home and work.

Peace doesn't require two people; it requires only one. It has to be you. The problem begins and ends there.

—Byron Katie

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