Difficult Conversations

Someone Is Paying for the Decision You Won’t Make

by Kerry Siggins | Sep 29, 2026 | Challenge Yourself, Communication, Difficult Conversations, Do the right thing, Feedback, Growth, Leadership, Power of Being Uncomfortable, Talk with Trust

I tend to give people a lot of chances. Sometimes they’ve worked out and other times they haven’t. And sometimes someone is paying for the decision you won't make. My desire to give people opportunities likely stems from...

You Don’t Have to Know What Happens Next

by Kerry Siggins | Sep 14, 2026 | Communication, Difficult Conversations, Do the right thing, Growth, Leadership, Talk with Trust, The Ownership Mindset

Things aren’t easy at StoneAge right now, and with all the uncertainty, it's hard to know exactly what happens next. The war in Iran directly impacts our primary markets: refining and petrochemicals. Our customers are delaying...

What’s Hiding Underneath Our Biggest Disagreements

by Kerry Siggins | Sep 6, 2026 | Accountability, Challenge Yourself, Communication, Difficult Conversations, Growth, Leadership, Talk with Trust

We all overreact from time to time, getting far more upset than the situation deserves. Those moments can look like someone questioning you, leaving you out of a decision, not following through on a commitment, or using one of...

The Danger of Thinking You’re Right

by Kerry Siggins | Jul 29, 2026 | Challenge Yourself, Communication, Difficult Conversations, Feedback, Leadership, Talk with Trust

There is a danger in thinking you're right. It's amazing how quickly your brain decides it knows exactly what’s going on, without a doubt. For sure, this narrative is correct, right? And then you find out it’s not....

Why I Got Defensive When a Board Member Told Me I Wasn’t Really a CEO

by Kerry Siggins | Jun 4, 2026 | Challenge Yourself, Communication, Difficult Conversations, Do the right thing, Talk with Trust, The Ownership Mindset

Many years ago, a board member once told me I wasn't really a CEO. We were talking about compensation, and I brought data showing my pay didn’t match that of CEOs at similar companies. The board was pushing back, and I started...

When Standards Stay in Your Head

by Kerry Siggins | Jan 22, 2026 | Accountability, Communication, Difficult Conversations, Leadership

For a long time, I believed my frustration as a leader came from people not doing what they should. Not moving fast enough. Not stepping up. Not owning things the way I would. I told myself I had high standards and that I was...

5 Reasons Why You Should Be a Straightforward Leader

by Kerry Siggins | Aug 8, 2022 | Communication, Difficult Conversations, Leadership, Mindset, Power of Being Uncomfortable, Treat People with Respect

The best kind of communication is straightforward communication, and the best kind of leader is a straightforward leader. It took me a while to learn this as a leader. Sometimes I would beat around the bush and not share my...

A Story About Truth

by Kerry Siggins | Apr 16, 2022 | Accountability, Challenge Yourself, Communication, Difficult Conversations, Do the right thing, Power of Being Uncomfortable

Last summer, while my son was at BMX camp, something interesting happened. Something that made me think about truth. And this is a story about truth. On the last day of camp, the parents received an email from a mother saying...

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Difficult Conversations

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