The conversation went underground.

All it took was a genuine question. That was shut down. Dismissed as "unhelpful".

An insinuation to the group that the questioner was clearly not on board with all the important stuff.

Embarrassing. Frustrating. Anger-inducing.

And so now there are two types of conversations. The conversations in the room, and the conversations outside of it. The conversation with nodding heads in the room. And the conversation with shaking heads over the quiet coffee afterwards.

The real conversation just went underground 🪏

Susan Scott reminds us, "Unreal conversations are expensive."

When the conversation is underground, stories circulate. Motives are questioned. People start to check out.

Which is why as leaders and managers, we need to find ways to keep the conversation above ground.

This is the focus of my next video. 

What do leaders actually need to do to keep the conversation above ground?