If you're of a certain age, Reader, you might remember that day in January 1986, when the world watched in horror as the space shuttle Challenger exploded.

Seventy-three seconds in the air, seven astronauts perished, including the first teacher in space.

Technically, the cause of that explosion was thought to be the O rings, which are small plastic pieces that expand and contract to help keep the rocket gases from getting to where they don't want to be.

But the reality is that those seven deaths and that tragic explosion were really caused by the failure of a tough conversation the night before.

You may have heard the story.

Bob Eveling was an engineer at Morton Thiokol, the company that worked with NASA to help make the space shuttle.

The night before the high-profile launch, Bob and his fellow engineers were trying to convince NASA officials that the 30-degree launch weather would be too cold for the O rings --they'd get hard and brittle rather than flexible.

They attempted to convince NASA with charts like this:

They tried using logic and facts.

It didn't work.

NASA's leaders proceeded, and we know what happened.

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In a heart-wrenching interview many years later, Mr. Eveling talked about the guilt and pain he'd been through since that night.

He said, "We knew what the implication was, without coming out and saying it. We knew that if the seals failed, the shuttle would blow up."

The emphasis above is mine . . . but it's a reminder for all of us.

• Where are we dancing around issues rather than saying what we think?
• Where are we dodging a tough conversation?
• How do we need to be more direct to be clear?

➡️ It's a good opportunity to revisit the steps & scripts in my article on How to Have a Tough Conversation at Work .

➡️ You might also like my Reset Your Communication toolkit here (free). ​

So how about you, Reader? Where are you overdue for a tough conversation? Hit REPLY and tell me about it. Your notes go directly to me and are always just between us.

Thankfully, most of our conversations at work are not life or death. But one conversation can have implications for relationships, careers, project success, finances, reputations, and more.

A tough conversation isn't mean--it's actually kind. It allows us to be clear about what's working—and what's not. (If you or your team are struggling with the ones you need to have, I'm here to help.) But don't delay--somebody out there needs to hear from you.

Always, Darcy

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P.S. Speaking of tough conversations, it may be time to have one if your senior role is feeling unsustainable. Harvard Business Review recently published an article I wrote with my colleague Tony Martignetti--read it here. --D

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