Purpose of Performance Discussions
Introduction
When something has a clear purpose, it tends to work. When the purpose is fuzzy, the thing itself tends to drift. That is true of meetings. It is true of projects. And it is especially true of performance discussions. The reason most performance discussions in most workplaces fail to live up to their potential is not that the people involved do not care. It is that the purpose of the conversation has never been clearly articulated, deeply understood, or shared between leader and team member. Both sides walk into the room with vague expectations. Both sides walk out with vague takeaways. The conversation happens. The form gets signed. And nothing of substance changes in the life of the person whose growth was supposed to be the point of the entire exercise.
This is one of the quietest tragedies of modern workplace life. A practice that has the potential to be one of the most consequential interactions a person experiences in their career gets reduced to a ritual. And the reduction is not because of bad intent. It is because of unclear purpose. A leader who does not know what a performance discussion is for cannot conduct it well. A team member who does not know what to expect cannot engage with it fully. And an organization that has not thought through what the conversation is meant to produce ends up with a process that consumes time without creating value. Purpose is what saves any conversation from drift, and the performance discussion needs more saving than most.
The previous subchapter explored what a performance discussion is. This article goes one layer deeper. What is it for? What is the conversation meant to produce in the life of the team member, the leader, and the organization? What are the outcomes that signal the discussion succeeded? What are the deeper goals that sit behind the visible activity? And how should those purposes shape the way the conversation is prepared, conducted, and followed up on? These are not abstract questions. They have direct, practical implications for how a leader approaches every performance conversation they will ever have. When the purpose is clear, the conversation has a center of gravity. When the purpose is unclear, the conversation drifts toward whatever each person happens to bring into the room.
The purposes of a performance discussion are layered. On the surface, there are visible, immediate purposes: to review work, to align on assessment, to set goals. Underneath, there are deeper purposes: to build trust, to deepen self-awareness, to renew commitment, to strengthen the relationship between leader and team member. At the foundation, there are essential purposes: to honor the work of another human being by taking it seriously, to invest in their growth, and to participate consciously in the unfolding of their career. A leader who understands only the surface purposes can conduct a competent performance discussion. A leader who understands the deeper and foundational purposes can conduct one that transforms. This article walks through all three layers, with the goal of giving you a complete map of what the conversation is meant to do.
By the end of this article, you should be able to articulate the purpose of any performance discussion you conduct, distinguish that purpose from related but different conversations, and bring the kind of clarity to your preparation and conduct that makes the discussion produce real value rather than ritual completion. Understanding the purpose is what turns the performance discussion from a procedure you have to do into a practice you want to do well, because you understand what it can give to the people whose work you have the privilege of being part of.
Simple Meaning: What Is the Purpose of a Performance Discussion?
The purpose of a performance discussion is to create a focused moment in time where a leader and team member step back from the daily flow of work to review contribution honestly, recognize what has been done well, surface areas for growth, plan for the future together, and renew the commitment and clarity that allow the team member to do their best work going forward. It is not a single purpose but a constellation of related purposes that, taken together, give the conversation its full meaning. The discussion exists to produce alignment, recognition, growth, planning, accountability, and trust, all in service of the team member's development and the work they are part of.
The purpose of a performance discussion is to step back from the daily work and look together at the larger picture, with honesty, care, and intention. It is to integrate the smaller conversations of the period into a coherent narrative that both leader and team member can see. It is to recognize the contributions that deserve to be named, to surface the patterns that deserve attention, to honor the work that has been done, and to plan thoughtfully for what comes next. It is to align on how things are going, so that the team member knows where they stand and the leader knows that the team member knows. It is to renew the commitment between the two people involved, the leader's commitment to support and develop the team member, and the team member's commitment to bring their best work and growth into the next period. It is to deepen the trust that allows hard truths to be spoken and received. It is to build the kind of self-awareness in the team member that comes from being seen clearly by someone who is paying attention. And ultimately, it is to participate consciously in the long arc of someone's career, treating the discussion not as a procedural box to check but as a meaningful moment in the unfolding of a professional life. Done with this understanding of purpose, the performance discussion becomes one of the most valuable conversations a leader can have. Done without it, the discussion becomes a form to fill.
The purpose of a performance discussion can be understood through four essential dimensions:
| Dimension | What It Means | Why It Matters | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reflection | Stepping back from daily work to look at patterns, contributions, and trajectory over time. | Without intentional reflection, the larger picture stays invisible. The conversation makes it visible. | Looking together at six months of contributions to identify the themes that defined the period. |
| Recognition | Naming specifically what the person has done well and what their contributions have produced. | Recognition is not optional. It is the honest accounting of value created. | Naming the specific impact of a project the team member led and what their leadership made possible. |
| Growth | Identifying areas where the team member can develop, supported by specific examples and honest assessment. | Growth is the future-facing half of the conversation. Without it, the discussion is only retrospective. | Naming a pattern of communication that has limited the team member's impact and planning how to develop it. |
| Planning | Setting clear direction and commitments for the period ahead, agreed by both sides. | Planning turns reflection and recognition into action. Without it, the conversation produces no change. | Agreeing on three specific goals, two development priorities, and the support that will be provided. |
The Three Layers of Purpose
The purposes of a performance discussion exist at three layers. Surface purposes are the visible, immediate outcomes the conversation is meant to produce. Deeper purposes are the more substantial goals that sit underneath the surface activity. Foundational purposes are the essential reasons the conversation matters in the first place. All three layers operate together, and a leader who understands only the surface layer will conduct a competent but shallow performance discussion. A leader who understands all three layers can conduct one that becomes a meaningful moment in someone's career.
Layer 1: Surface Purposes
These are the visible, immediate outcomes the conversation produces.
- To review the team member's work over a defined period.
- To deliver and discuss the leader's assessment of performance.
- To recognize specific achievements and contributions.
- To identify specific areas for development.
- To set goals and priorities for the next period.
- To document agreements and commitments.
- To fulfill the organization's requirements for performance management.
Layer 2: Deeper Purposes
These are the more substantial goals that sit underneath the surface activity.
- To align both sides on how the period has gone, eliminating gaps in perception.
- To build the team member's self-awareness through honest, specific feedback.
- To strengthen trust through the practice of honest engagement.
- To deepen the relationship between leader and team member.
- To renew commitment to the work and the partnership.
- To create accountability through clarity about what is expected and supported.
- To signal investment in the team member's growth and career.
Layer 3: Foundational Purposes
These are the essential reasons the conversation matters at all.
- To honor the work of another human being by taking it seriously.
- To participate consciously in the unfolding of someone's career.
- To treat the team member as a full participant in their own growth rather than a recipient of judgment.
- To live out the leader's responsibility to develop the people they lead.
- To create a moment of pause and depth in a working life that rarely offers either.
- To embody the values of honesty, care, and respect through the practice of focused conversation.
- To strengthen the larger culture of feedback, growth, and trust through the example of one well-conducted discussion.
What the Performance Discussion Is Meant to Produce for the Team Member
The primary beneficiary of a well-conducted performance discussion is the team member. Understanding what the conversation is meant to produce for them is the clearest way to clarify the purpose of the conversation itself.
| What the Discussion Should Produce | Why It Matters for the Team Member |
|---|---|
| Clarity About Where They Stand | People deserve to know honestly how they are doing. Ambiguity is corrosive to confidence and motivation. |
| Recognition of Specific Contributions | The work they did mattered. Hearing it named gives meaning and reinforcement to effort. |
| Honest Picture of Growth Areas | People cannot grow on what they cannot see. The discussion surfaces patterns worth attending to. |
| Direction for the Next Period | Going into a new period without clarity is exhausting. The discussion provides focus and priority. |
| A Sense of Being Seen | The discussion signals that the team member's work is visible, valued, and worth talking about. |
| Commitments of Support | Knowing what the leader will provide and remove from their path makes the work ahead more achievable. |
| A Voice in Their Own Development | Being asked what they want to grow in, and how, treats them as a partner in their own career. |
| Renewed Connection With the Leader | The conversation is an investment of time and attention that strengthens the relationship. |
| Sense of Momentum | A well-conducted discussion leaves the team member feeling moved forward, not held in place. |
| Strengthened Self-Awareness | Honest feedback from someone who sees them daily produces awareness they cannot generate alone. |
What the Performance Discussion Is Meant to Produce for the Leader
Performance discussions are not only for the team member. They produce real value for the leader as well, value that is often overlooked because the leader's role is framed as the giver in the conversation rather than a participant who also gains from it.
| What the Discussion Should Produce | Why It Matters for the Leader |
|---|---|
| Deeper Understanding of the Team Member | The leader hears how the team member sees their own work, ambitions, and challenges, which is often more nuanced than expected. |
| Surfacing of Blind Spots | The conversation often reveals things the leader did not know about the team member's experience or context. |
| Alignment on Direction | Clear plans agreed in conversation reduce friction over the next period and increase the chance of success. |
| Stronger Working Relationship | The investment in the discussion deepens the relationship in ways that pay off across hundreds of smaller interactions. |
| Strengthened Coaching Skill | Each performance discussion is an opportunity to develop the leader's own ability to engage, listen, and develop people. |
| Clearer View of Team Patterns | Across multiple discussions, the leader sees patterns at the team level, what is working, what needs attention, where development is needed. |
| Fulfillment of Leadership Responsibility | Developing people is core to leadership. The discussion is one of the most concrete expressions of that responsibility. |
| Feedback for Themselves | A well-conducted discussion creates space for the team member to share what they need from the leader, including feedback on the leader's own approach. |
| Documentation for Future Reference | The record of the conversation supports future discussions, calibration, and decisions about the team member's career. |
| Renewed Commitment to the Person | The discussion reminds the leader of who this person is, what they bring, and what the leader has committed to in their development. |
What the Performance Discussion Is Meant to Produce for the Organization
Beyond the leader and the team member, the performance discussion produces value at the organizational level. These purposes are sometimes treated as the primary reason performance discussions exist, but they are most accurately understood as benefits that emerge when the conversation serves its primary purposes for the people involved.
- Calibration of performance across the organization, so that assessments and decisions about talent are grounded in consistent, honest engagement at the individual level.
- Documentation of the workforce's contributions and growth, which supports decisions about promotion, compensation, succession, and development investment.
- Strengthening of the talent pipeline, as individual development conversations cumulatively shape the bench of leaders and contributors the organization can draw on.
- Culture of feedback and accountability, built one conversation at a time across thousands of leader-team member pairs.
- Risk reduction, through documented conversations that clarify expectations and surface issues before they become crises.
- Engagement and retention, as people who feel seen, supported, and developed are more likely to stay and contribute.
- Alignment between individual goals and organizational priorities, through the goal-setting that emerges from each conversation.
- Practical execution of values, as the way performance discussions are conducted is one of the clearest expressions of what the organization actually values, regardless of what its stated values say.
Common Confusions About the Purpose of Performance Discussions
Many of the failures of performance discussions in real workplaces come from confusion about what the conversation is for. Understanding what the purpose is not, in addition to what it is, helps you avoid the most common traps.
| Common Confusion | What It Looks Like | Why It Fails |
|---|---|---|
| The Purpose Is to Deliver a Rating | The conversation is built around the rating. The leader prepares to defend it. The team member focuses on whether to accept it. | The rating is a byproduct, not the purpose. Centering the conversation on the rating reduces the discussion to negotiation. |
| The Purpose Is to Justify Compensation Decisions | The conversation becomes about salary, bonus, or promotion outcomes. | Compensation decisions are related but distinct. Letting them dominate distorts the conversation's primary purposes. |
| The Purpose Is to Document for HR | The conversation feels like writing the record rather than having the discussion. | Documentation supports the conversation, but it is not the point. Letting it lead makes the discussion procedural. |
| The Purpose Is to Make the Team Member Feel Good | The leader avoids hard topics, softens feedback excessively, and treats the discussion as a morale moment. | Comfort is not the purpose. Honest engagement, including difficult truths, is what produces real value. |
| The Purpose Is to Catch the Team Member Up on Concerns | The leader saves up months of feedback and delivers it all in the performance discussion. | Feedback should not be saved. The discussion integrates ongoing feedback, it does not replace it. |
| The Purpose Is to Set Goals for the Next Period | The conversation focuses almost entirely on what comes next, with little reflection on the period that just passed. | Goal-setting is one purpose, but without reflection and recognition, the discussion lacks foundation. |
| The Purpose Is to Deliver Bad News | The conversation is treated primarily as a venue for serious concerns or formal warnings. | Performance issues should be addressed when they happen. The discussion has broader purpose than crisis management. |
| The Purpose Is to Get Through the Form | The conversation follows the template rigidly, with no room for the human dimension. | The form is a tool. The conversation is the point. Letting the form lead makes the discussion procedural. |
How Clarity of Purpose Shapes Preparation and Conduct
Understanding the purpose of a performance discussion is not abstract. It has direct, practical implications for how a leader prepares for and conducts the conversation.
When You Understand That the Purpose Is Reflection
You prepare by reviewing the full period, not just recent weeks. You gather specific examples that illustrate the larger patterns. You give the team member time and space in the conversation to share their own reflection first. You ask questions that invite depth rather than confirm your existing view.
When You Understand That the Purpose Is Recognition
You prepare specific examples of contributions you want to name. You think about impact, not just activity, when discussing achievements. You give recognition the same care, weight, and specificity you give to constructive feedback. You do not let the conversation become so focused on growth areas that contributions go unacknowledged.
When You Understand That the Purpose Is Growth
You identify development areas grounded in observable behavior, not character labels. You think about not just what needs to change but how the change can be supported. You ask the team member what they want to grow in, not just tell them what they should work on. You connect growth areas to opportunities that will allow the development to happen.
When You Understand That the Purpose Is Planning
You go into the conversation with possible directions for the next period, while staying open to what the team member brings. You aim to leave the conversation with specific, agreed commitments, not vague intentions. You plan how the support and accountability will be sustained over the period, not just discussed once. You document what was agreed so it can be revisited and built on.
When You Understand That the Deeper Purpose Is Trust
You conduct the conversation in a way that strengthens the relationship, not just delivers content. You speak hard truths with care. You listen to hard truths from the other side without defending. You honor the risk involved in being honest with each other.
When You Understand That the Foundational Purpose Is Honoring Another Human Being
You prepare more thoroughly than the form requires. You bring full presence rather than distracted attendance. You give the conversation the time it deserves rather than rushing it. You treat the team member as a full participant in their own growth, not a recipient of your assessment. You let the conversation matter to you, not just to them.
How the Purpose Changes for Different Situations
While the core purposes of performance discussions remain consistent, the emphasis can shift depending on the team member's situation. A skilled leader adjusts the emphasis without losing the foundation.
| Situation | Purpose Emphasis |
|---|---|
| A high performer who has consistently delivered. | Strong emphasis on recognition, then on stretching their growth toward the next level. |
| A solid contributor in the middle of their tenure. | Balanced emphasis on recognition, growth, and clear direction for sustained development. |
| A team member whose performance has been mixed. | Honest assessment, clear growth areas, and a planning emphasis on what specific changes are needed. |
| A team member who is new to the role. | Reflection on early experience, recognition of growth so far, and planning emphasis on what to focus on next. |
| A team member who is ready for promotion or expanded scope. | Recognition of the readiness, planning emphasis on the path to the next step, and discussion of what the transition requires. |
| A team member whose performance is significantly off track. | Honest discussion of the gap, clear expectations, support, and a structured improvement plan. |
| A team member who is highly experienced and senior. | Reflection on contribution to the larger organization, recognition of long-term impact, and discussion of how their role and growth can continue to evolve. |
| A team member going through personal or professional transition. | Emphasis on connection, support, and flexible planning that acknowledges the broader context of their life and career. |
In each case, the core purposes of reflection, recognition, growth, and planning remain. What shifts is the relative weight of each, and the specific shape the conversation takes. A leader who knows the purposes well can read the situation and adjust the emphasis without losing the integrity of what the discussion is meant to do.
Practical Workplace Scenario
Scenario
A team lead named Shruti had been conducting performance discussions with her direct reports for several years. She was technically competent at them. She prepared the form, summarized the year, delivered the rating, and discussed next year's goals. The conversations averaged thirty to forty minutes. Her team members would nod, ask clarifying questions about the rating, and leave. None of them ever pushed back, complained, or struggled with the conversations. By most external measures, Shruti was doing performance discussions well.
But one of her senior engineers, Ravi, said something in a casual conversation that stayed with her. He had moved to a different team and, after a few months, mentioned that his new manager's performance discussion had been very different. "It felt like she was actually trying to figure out who I am as a professional," he said. "Yours always felt like you were giving me a report card. I am not complaining. You were always fair. But the conversation with her felt like it was about me, and I had not realized what that could be like."
Shruti was quiet for a moment. Then she said: "Thank you for telling me that. I want to think about it." And she did.
What She Reflected On
Shruti realized that she had been doing performance discussions with one purpose in mind: to deliver an honest assessment efficiently. She had been good at that. But efficiency had crowded out everything else. Reflection was minimal. Recognition was perfunctory. Growth was framed as gaps to close rather than directions to pursue. Planning was largely the leader's plan, presented for the team member to receive. The conversation was about assessment. It was not about the person.
She realized that the deeper purposes, the building of trust, the strengthening of self-awareness, the renewal of commitment, the honoring of the person sitting across from her, had been treated as nice-to-haves rather than the actual point. And she realized that her team members had been receiving the conversations she had been giving, not because they were ideal, but because they did not know that the conversation could be more.
What She Changed
In her next round of performance discussions, Shruti changed her approach. She allocated ninety minutes instead of forty. She spent twice as long preparing. She started each conversation by asking the team member to share their own reflection on the period before she shared hers. She listened longer than she spoke. She named contributions with specificity and care she had not brought before. She framed growth areas as directions to pursue, not gaps to close, and she asked the team member what they wanted to grow in. She made the planning truly shared rather than presented. And she allowed the conversation to become about the person, not just the assessment.
What Happened
The conversations were different. Team members opened up more. They asked harder questions. They shared ambitions they had been holding back. One of them named a long-standing concern about how the team was being run, which Shruti had not heard before. Another shared that he had been considering leaving for a different role and that this conversation made him want to stay. A third asked Shruti how she felt the relationship was going and what she would change. By the end of the cycle, Shruti had learned more about her team in two months than in the previous two years combined. And every team member had moved into the next period with more clarity, energy, and direction than before.
Result
Six months later, Shruti reflected: "I had been doing performance discussions for years thinking the purpose was to deliver an assessment. I now realize the purpose is much larger than that. The assessment is one piece. The real point is to use the conversation to honor the person, deepen the relationship, and renew the trajectory of their growth. When I understood that, the conversations became something I look forward to rather than something I push through. And the team members notice the difference, which is itself one of the most affirming feedback signals I have received in years of leadership."
Learning
This scenario illustrates the central point of this article. Technique alone does not make a performance discussion successful. Understanding the purpose does. Two leaders can use the same form, follow the same process, ask similar questions, and produce wildly different conversations because their understanding of what the conversation is for is different. The leader who treats the discussion as assessment delivery produces an efficient transaction. The leader who treats it as honoring a human being through reflection, recognition, growth, and planning produces something far more valuable. That difference is what understanding purpose makes possible.
Purpose of Performance Discussions Checklist
| Practice | Yes / No |
|---|---|
| I can articulate the purpose of the performance discussions I conduct beyond "completing the process." | |
| I understand that the conversation has surface, deeper, and foundational purposes that all operate together. | |
| I think about what the discussion is meant to produce for the team member, not just what I need to deliver. | |
| I treat reflection, recognition, growth, and planning as core dimensions of every discussion. | |
| I distinguish performance discussions from rating delivery, compensation negotiation, and disciplinary conversations. | |
| I let the purpose shape my preparation and conduct rather than letting the form lead. | |
| I adjust the emphasis of the discussion based on the team member's situation while keeping the core purposes intact. | |
| I treat the conversation as an opportunity to honor the person, not just complete a process. | |
| I evaluate my performance discussions by what they produce in the team member's growth, not just whether they were efficient. | |
| I recognize that understanding the purpose deeply is what allows technique to be effective. |
Self-Reflection Questions
Use these questions to think about how clearly you understand the purpose of the performance discussions you conduct.
- If asked to articulate the purpose of the performance discussions I lead, what would I say? Is it clear to me?
- Which of the three layers of purpose, surface, deeper, foundational, do I tend to operate at?
- Have I been treating the form, the rating, or the documentation as the purpose of the conversation rather than as tools that support it?
- What does each of my team members likely take away from our performance discussions? Is it what I would want them to take?
- How much of my preparation is about the form versus the person?
- Do I treat recognition with the same weight and specificity as constructive feedback?
- Do I let the team member shape the conversation, or do I conduct it as a one-way delivery?
- What deeper purposes have I been underweighting in my performance discussions? Trust? Self-awareness? Renewal?
- What would change in my next performance discussion if I prepared with full awareness of all three layers of purpose?
- How would I want the people I lead to describe the performance discussions they have with me, five years into our working relationship?
Key Takeaways
- The purpose of a performance discussion is to create a focused moment in time where leader and team member step back from daily work to review contribution honestly, recognize what has been done well, surface growth areas, plan for the future together, and renew the commitment and clarity that allow the team member to do their best work going forward.
- The conversation has four core dimensions: reflection, recognition, growth, and planning. Each is essential. Together they form the substance of a complete performance discussion.
- Purpose operates at three layers. Surface purposes are the visible outcomes the conversation produces. Deeper purposes are the more substantial goals beneath the surface. Foundational purposes are the essential reasons the conversation matters at all.
- For the team member, the discussion is meant to produce clarity about where they stand, specific recognition, honest growth direction, renewed momentum, a sense of being seen, commitments of support, voice in their own development, strengthened self-awareness, and deeper connection with the leader.
- For the leader, the discussion produces deeper understanding of the team member, surfacing of blind spots, alignment on direction, stronger relationships, sharpened coaching skill, clearer view of team patterns, fulfillment of leadership responsibility, feedback for themselves, documentation for the future, and renewed commitment to the person.
- For the organization, the discussion supports calibration of performance, documentation of contributions, strengthening of the talent pipeline, culture of feedback, risk reduction, engagement and retention, alignment between individual and organizational goals, and practical execution of stated values.
- Many common confusions about purpose distort the discussion: treating it as a rating delivery, a compensation negotiation, a documentation exercise, a feel-good moment, a venue for accumulated feedback, only goal-setting, only bad news, or simply form-completion.
- Clarity of purpose shapes everything: how the leader prepares, how they open the conversation, how they balance reflection with planning, how they listen, how they recognize, how they discuss growth, and how they close. Without clarity, the conversation drifts.
- The core purposes remain consistent across different situations, but the emphasis shifts based on whether the team member is a high performer, mid-tenure contributor, mixed performer, new joiner, ready for promotion, off track, highly experienced, or in transition.
- Understanding purpose is what makes the difference between a competent performance discussion and one that becomes a meaningful moment in the team member's career. Technique alone is not enough. Purpose is what gives technique its meaning.
Conclusion
The purpose of a performance discussion is not a single thing. It is a constellation of related purposes operating at multiple layers simultaneously. On the surface, it reviews work, names contributions, surfaces growth, sets goals, and documents agreements. Beneath the surface, it builds trust, strengthens self-awareness, renews commitment, and deepens the relationship between leader and team member. At the foundation, it honors the work of another human being by taking it seriously, invests consciously in someone's career, and embodies the values of honest, respectful engagement that the rest of leadership rests on.
A leader who understands only the surface purposes can conduct a competent performance discussion. They will deliver assessments efficiently. They will complete the forms. They will set goals. The conversation will work in the basic sense of doing what it appears to be designed to do. But it will not produce the deeper value the conversation has the potential to create. A leader who understands the deeper and foundational purposes conducts the same conversation differently. They prepare more carefully. They listen more fully. They speak with more care. They allow the conversation to matter, both to the team member and to themselves. And the result is a discussion that becomes a meaningful moment in the team member's life, a stronger relationship for both people, and a renewed trajectory of growth that lasts well beyond the conversation itself.
The most important lesson is this: The purpose of the performance discussion is not in the form. It is in the person. Every form, every rating, every process step exists to serve the conversation that is happening between two human beings. When you remember that, the discussion becomes one of the most meaningful exchanges you will have as a leader. When you forget that, the discussion becomes one of the most missed opportunities. Hold the purpose clearly. Prepare with it in mind. Conduct the conversation with it as your compass. Let it shape what you ask, what you listen for, what you recognize, what you discuss, and what you commit to. Let it remind you that the person sitting across from you is not a rating to be delivered or a process to be completed. They are someone whose career is unfolding partly through this conversation, and you have the privilege of being part of it. Treated with that understanding, the performance discussion is one of the highest-leverage practices in leadership. Not because it produces a rating. Not because it completes a form. But because it gives you the chance, repeatedly, year after year, to honor the work of another human being and to participate consciously in the larger story of their growth. That is the purpose. That is what makes the conversation matter. And that is what the rest of this chapter is designed to help you fulfill, conversation after conversation, throughout your career as a leader.