No matter what company you work for, or whether you are a regular employee or a team leader, you will come into conflict with other people sooner or later. This usually happens because people in the workplace have different views on problem solving and different temperaments. Even though many people like to avoid conflict, it is best to work directly on resolving it, as it … [Read more...]
Handling Conflict on Your Team
It is inevitable that discord among team members will arise from time to time, and stepping in to tackle and resolve conflict ranks pretty low on most managers’ list of enjoyable activities. But unhandled friction erodes morale and productivity, and can turn even top performers into stressed out B-team players. When disharmony is affecting your group, you may be tempted to … [Read more...]
Nice Teams Don’t Win in Sports or Business
Conflict can be good. That's according to an insightful email message that I received this week on behalf of Dr. Robyn Odegaard, CEO of Champion Performance Development, founder of the Stop The Drama! Campaign, and author of the book Stop The Drama! The Ultimate Guide to Female Teams. She explains that “productive conflict” allows female athletes to address disagreement and … [Read more...]
The “Knots” of Conflict
I recently had a call from a coaching client, Diane, who was beyond annoyed. She thought she had “this conflict thing” handled, in the bag, never to upset her ever again. She had done so much work on constructive ways to respond to those who pressed her buttons. She loved being in the safe stress zone at work. That was until last week. “What a bummer” she repeated over and … [Read more...]
5 Lessons I’ve Learned about Leadership
The economic waves have settled a bit and my company is getting ready to hire several new employees. As the resumes have rolled in, more than I can ever remember, I thought back to my very first professional job and the anticipation of the world that was unfolding before me. When you started your career what was front and center on your work agenda? I was armed with a … [Read more...]
Tell Me My Baby’s Ugly
Reposted from March 15, 2009. I don't have kids so it's easy for me to say. I know it sounds harsh, but if I did have kids I'd really rather know. So often in business we are forced to work with people who won't go to that place of, "tell it like it is," and it's frustrating for the rest of us who want to know the ugly truth. I'm not suggesting you lose all regard and … [Read more...]
Altruism at Work
During the 1940’s, Harvard sociologist Pitirim Sorokin argued that industrial societies needed to transform themselves by developing a more integrated, holistic, and systemic approach to the world – what he called creative altruism. He discussed the idea that there is a part of the brain that is programmed for altruism. He discussed this way before we had any of the … [Read more...]
Real Power
I was in the presence of a motivational expert who was tall, dark and handsome. By any standards, Hollywood, Wall Street, mothers looking for guys for their daughters, he was a standout. Then he started to talk, and again he got stellar grades. He was engaging, funny, relevant, and deep. He was the kind of guy you want to hang out with, laugh with, and learn from. I must … [Read more...]