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LEGACY LEARNING PRESS · PROFESSOR G LEADERSHIP SERIES
Professor G’s Guide to
The Conversation Nobody Wants
A Practical Story About Difficult Conversations, Employee Accountability, and Rebuilding Workplace Trust
Paul Gerhardt, PhD
141 pages · Paperback · ISBN 9780557693146
A capable employee. A missed commitment. A conversation that cannot wait.
Maria Ellis values Daniel Reyes’s talent. At Cedar Creek Services, customers trust him and colleagues depend on him. Yet his missed deadlines are creating problems beyond his own desk, and Maria has postponed the discussion she knows they need.
With guidance from Professor G, Maria looks beyond frustration to examine what is actually happening: competing priorities, incomplete communication, unspoken assumptions, and management practices that make reliable follow-through harder.
This practical workplace story explores a demanding leadership responsibility: holding someone accountable while remaining willing to examine your own part in the problem.
The leadership work behind the conversation
Facts before assumptions. Identify missed commitments and their consequences without turning a performance concern into a judgment about someone’s character.
Listening with accountability. Make room for information you have not heard while keeping expectations clear.
Systems as well as behavior. Consider how priorities, communication, and management decisions affect an employee’s ability to deliver.
Trust through follow-through. Establish realistic commitments and examine the consistent actions needed to rebuild confidence.
For readers responsible for people and results
Written for managers, supervisors, emerging leaders, HR professionals, business educators, and leadership-development professionals. Read independently, use the story to prompt reflection, or bring its workplace dilemmas into a team or classroom discussion.
About the author
Paul Gerhardt, PhD, is a management professor, leadership author, and workplace improvement educator. His teaching and writing connect organizational behavior and leadership ideas with the everyday responsibilities of managing people. He created the Professor G series and hosts The Better Workplace podcast.
Publication details
Publisher: Legacy Learning Press
Publication date: November 2, 2026
ISBN: 9780557693146
Format: Paperback, perfect bound
Length: 141 pages
Language: English
Interior: Black and white
Trim size: A5, 5.83 × 8.27 in (148 × 210 mm)
Bring a better question to your next difficult conversation.
Explore the story, recognize the leadership choices, and consider what you can apply in your own workplace.
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