#awinewith Jennifer Bicknell, Founder of Bicknell Law & Consulting

https://jenniferbicknell.com.au/

In this episode we talked about...

* The "Seth Godin concert" moment that made a happy international law firm partner realise she no longer fit her tribe - and why the only person who'd let her do the crazy thingsshe wanted to do was her.

* Why Jen calls herself a dispute prevention advisor: almost every workplace dispute that landed in her inbox could have been prevented by one difficult conversation, had early,when the issue was small.

* What workplace law actually covers, and why doing nothing is usually the wrong response - from toxic employees driving out your rock stars to the positive duty to prevent sexualharassment.

* The five essential ingredients of an effective difficult conversation: see it as an opportunity, use empathy, be self-aware, make no assumptions, and address the behaviour, notthe person.

* The golf swing method - a 5-minute planning tool that starts with what winning looks like, a script you don't hide ("this conversation is really important to me, so I've preparedsome notes"), and a warm welcome that sets the tone.

* Why delaying a hard conversation is like ignoring a toothache: the earlier you have it, the more likely you can keep it human, take a walk, and even use humour.

* Candor is kindness - why letting someone languish for years in a role that doesn't suit them is the cruel option, and why avoiding the conversation is about our comfort, not theirfeelings.

* Jen's advice: use your connections, roleplay the hard conversations with people you trust, and pick yourself - because once you run your own business, you never go back.

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