Leadership is not for sissies. If there’s anything I’ve learned in almost nine years of entrepreneurship, this might be one of the reoccurring lessons I have to face on a regular basis. I’m not one that looks for confrontation, but I’ve also learned that in leadership, difficult conversations can’t be avoided forever. And many times, the longer they’re avoided, the worse off everyone ends up. But it’s important that when handling difficult issues, we follow Paul’s advice to Ephasus, and speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). So before I follow through with a difficult conversation, here are the five steps I follow to ensure I’m as prepared as possible to speak the truth in love: 1. The goal for the conversation is to help them, not to hurt them.  Loving instruction helps more than it hurts. It doesn’t mean the truth won’t be slightly painful to hear in the moment, but the reality for that person must mean that long-term, it will help them much more than it will hurt them. 2. I’m not afraid of the truth that needs to be said. Not all truth is easy to say, but the more vague we are in our [...]