Unprofessionalism
Professional performance is exhausting. Maintaining the mask. Editing ourselves. Pretending we know when we don't.
This podcast is about people who dropped the performance. And what happened next.
Each episode features someone who broke professional conventions and found something better on the other side: the executive who disclosed grief in a corporate setting and found it opened new ways of relating; the coach who realised her authority came from integrity, not compliance; the designer who ignored the 'approved tools' and saved thousands of hours.
Conversations circle around three questions:
- What does it cost us to perform professionalism instead of showing up as ourselves?
- How do we create spaces where people can bring their full attention and humanity to work?
- When is the “unprofessional” move actually the most responsible one?
If you feel the tension between who you are and who you're expected to be at work, this podcast shows you what happens when people stop managing that tension and just stop performing.
Hosted by Dr Myriam Hadnes—behavioural economist and founder of workshops.work. New episode every week.
Unprofessionalism
330 - Difficult Conversations: From Avoidance to Alignment with Myriam Hadnes
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The conversations we dread, the ones we avoid, and the ones that hold so much emotional weight – are often the ones we wish we’d had sooner. So why do we fear them so much?
As a recovering people-pleaser, I know the drill all too well: the bubbling resentment, the unmet needs, and the stories we fabricate in our minds. But rather than run from the difficult conversations in my life, I’ve learnt how to build the bridges that will carry me to a better outcome.
This solo episode is for my fellow people-pleasers, facilitators, leaders, and anyone with a hard conversation on the horizon. So join me, myself and I, as I share my tried-and-tested approach to mastering them with confidence and care!
Find out about:
- The cost of avoiding challenging conversations – and the reward in embracing them
- Tuning into our bodily signals to understand what’s happening beneath the emotion
- Getting clear on the assumptions vs. the facts before a challenging conversation
- Why we must acknowledge that challenging conversations starts with us first
- Finding a common way forward without mutual agreement or violent language
- Why sharing boundaries transparently can foster respect
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.
Links:
Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.
Resources mentioned in the episode:
- HBR Article: The Right Way to Prepare for a High-Stakes Conversation
- Deviate: The Science of Seeing Differently by Beau Lotto
- SBI Feedback Model (Situation–Behavior–Impact)
- Let Them: The Art of Detaching From Judgment by Mel Robbins
- Difficult Conversations by Stone, Patton and Heen
- Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson
Any thoughts? Share them with us!
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If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/
