The Courage to Speak: Why Difficult Conversations Are Essential in Local Government Transformation
- truthaboutlocalgov
- Jun 1, 2025
- 5 min read
Local government stands at a crossroads. With rising demand, shrinking budgets, and increasingly complex social challenges, the sector is under immense pressure to transform how it works. But transformation is not just about new systems, structures, or strategies. It’s about people — and people need to talk.
More specifically, they need to have the conversations that are often avoided: the uncomfortable, the challenging, the emotionally charged. Whether it’s addressing underperformance, confronting outdated practices, or challenging political or organisational norms, difficult conversations are the engine of real change.
This blog explores why these conversations matter, what gets in the way, and how local government can build a culture where speaking up is not just accepted, but expected.
Why Difficult Conversations Matter
Transformation is not a technical process. It’s a human one. And humans bring with them emotions, histories, and perspectives that don’t always align. In this context, avoiding difficult conversations doesn’t preserve harmony — it preserves dysfunction.
“You can’t change what you won’t name,” says Rachel Thomas, a leadership consultant who works with councils across the UK. “If we’re serious about transformation, we have to be honest about what’s not working.”
Difficult conversations are how we:
Address performance issues that undermine team effectiveness
Challenge assumptions that limit innovation
Surface tensions that, left unspoken, erode trust
Hold each other accountable for the values we claim to uphold
In short, they are how we move from polite stagnation to purposeful progress.
The Cost of Avoidance
Avoiding difficult conversations may feel safer in the short term, but it comes at a high cost. Problems fester. Morale declines. Decisions are made without full information. And the gap between rhetoric and reality grows wider.
“I’ve seen whole programmes fail because no one was willing to say the hard thing at the right time,” says Thomas. “By the time the truth comes out, it’s too late.”
In local government, where public trust is fragile and resources are finite, this kind of avoidance is not just a leadership issue — it’s a service delivery issue.
What Makes Conversations Difficult?
Not all conversations are difficult. So what makes some feel so hard?
Fear of conflict: We worry about damaging relationships or provoking defensiveness.
Fear of consequences: We fear being seen as difficult, disloyal, or disruptive.
Lack of skill: We don’t know how to raise the issue constructively.
Cultural norms: In some organisations, silence is seen as safer than honesty.
These fears are understandable — but they are also surmountable.
The Role of Officers and Members
Both officers and elected members have a role to play in creating a culture where difficult conversations are normalised.
Officers
Officers are often the bridge between strategy and delivery. They see the operational realities that members may not. Their willingness to speak up — about risks, inefficiencies, or cultural issues — is vital.
“As officers, we have a duty to tell the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable,” says Priya Desai, a senior officer in a London borough. “That’s how we serve our communities.”
But officers also need to feel safe to do so. That requires supportive leadership, clear expectations, and a culture that values candour over compliance.
Members
Elected members bring democratic legitimacy and political insight. Their role is to challenge, scrutinise, and represent. But they too must be willing to engage in difficult conversations — with each other, with officers, and with residents.
“We can’t just say what people want to hear,” says Councillor James O’Connor. “We have to say what they need to hear — and that includes each other.”
When members model respectful challenge and open dialogue, it sets the tone for the whole organisation.
Creating the Conditions for Honest Dialogue
So how do we create an environment where difficult conversations can happen — and be productive?
1. Build Psychological Safety
Psychological safety is the belief that you can speak up without fear of humiliation or retaliation. It’s the foundation of honest dialogue.
“People need to know that raising a concern won’t cost them their job or their reputation,” says Desai.
Leaders can build psychological safety by:
Listening without interrupting
Thanking people for their honesty
Acting on feedback
Admitting their own mistakes
2. Normalise Feedback
Feedback shouldn’t be a once-a-year event. It should be a regular, expected part of working life.
Encourage teams to:
Give feedback upwards, sideways, and downwards
Use structured formats (e.g. “What went well / Even better if…”)
Treat feedback as a gift, not a threat
“The more we practise giving and receiving feedback, the less scary it becomes,” says Thomas.
3. Train for Courageous Conversations
Having difficult conversations is a skill — and like any skill, it can be learned.
Offer training on:
Active listening
Non-defensive communication
Managing emotions
Structuring difficult conversations
Role-play real scenarios. Debrief after challenging meetings. Create space to reflect and learn.
4. Lead by Example
Culture is shaped by what leaders do, not just what they say. When senior leaders avoid difficult conversations, it sends a powerful message.
“If the chief exec won’t challenge poor behaviour, why should anyone else?” asks O’Connor.
Leaders must model the behaviours they want to see — including the courage to speak hard truths.
What a Difficult Conversation Looks Like
Let’s take a practical example. Imagine a service manager notices that a long-standing team member is resisting a new digital system. Productivity is dropping, and morale is suffering. The easy option is to ignore it or work around them. The courageous option is to have a conversation.
A curious, constructive approach might sound like:
“I’ve noticed you’ve been finding the new system challenging, and I wanted to check in. I really value your experience, and I’d like to understand what’s going on from your perspective.”
This opens the door to dialogue, not defensiveness. It shows empathy, not accusation. And it creates the possibility of change.
The Link to Transformation
Transformation is not just about doing things differently. It’s about thinking differently, relating differently, and leading differently. And that requires honest, sometimes uncomfortable, conversations.
Whether it’s:
Challenging siloed thinking
Addressing systemic inequalities
Confronting the gap between strategy and delivery
…transformation demands truth-telling.
“You can’t transform an organisation if people are afraid to speak,” says Thomas. “Silence is the enemy of change.”
A Culture of Courage
Ultimately, the goal is not just to have more difficult conversations — it’s to create a culture where they are welcomed, not feared. A culture where:
Speaking up is seen as a contribution, not a complaint
Disagreement is handled with respect, not avoidance
Feedback is part of learning, not punishment
This is the culture that will enable local government to meet the challenges ahead — not just with new strategies, but with new ways of being.
Conclusion: The Conversation Starts Here
If you work in local government, you are already in the business of difficult conversations — with residents, with colleagues, with partners. The question is not whether you’ll have them, but how.
Will you avoid them, or embrace them? Will you protect comfort, or pursue truth? Will you settle for surface harmony, or strive for real progress?
“The future of local government depends on our willingness to speak — and to listen,” says Desai. “Because only through honest dialogue can we build the trust, the insight, and the courage to transform.”
So let’s start the conversation. Not just the easy ones, but the hard ones. The ones that matter. The ones that change things. Because our communities deserve nothing less.
