It's always curious why conversations end with a dead end. That means the conversation ends with no resolve, next steps, answers, or feedback.
I'm always curious why this occurs.
Why wouldn't someone answer a question, respond to a request, provide feedback to a response, or add their perspective?
I generally try to reach some kind of conclusion with conversations even if there's disagreement and debate. The response might be, "Hey, we both really care about this effort, but we just don't see eye-to-eye right now, let's give it some time and talk again," or "I just can't go in that direction right now for these reasons, but I'll keep an open mind to this and maybe we can go there later."
A little girl came to me yesterday and said, "I've been trying to talk to you about that issue." I had to apologize as I lost track of the conversation, and then we made plans to have lunch today to discuss it. I told the girl, "You're a leader, and you're so on top of our classroom efforts. I appreciate all you do and look forward to our lunch." I also mentioned that her patience in this situation was another leadership attribute that she demonstrates.
I'm a big fan of fluid systems that continue to develop and change over time. I find that systems like this lead to better growth and development than stop-and-go systems and conversations.
What do you do with dead end conversations? How do you re-open the topic or let go of the debate? Does this happen often in your personal/professional environments, or not too often. This is yet another area of working and learning I'm curious about. Onward.
