At some point in your leadership experience, you will probably be the new person on the team. You will join an existing team where you need to assume the leadership position. As the leader, you will probably be expected to make changes and improvements to increase team performance. And as the “newbie” on the team, it might be difficult to suggest changes in a way that is easily … [Read more...]
How to Manage Upward with Tact and Diplomacy
At some point in your leadership career, you will need to “manage upward” – sell an idea, strategy, or approach to your leader that they either don’t want, don’t understand, or don’t like. The art of successfully navigating these complicated and difficult situations requires both tact and diplomacy. Ultimately, these situations rely on the same mindsets, skills, and … [Read more...]
FAQ Series: How to Give Feedback to Friends Who Now Report to You
In a previous post, I offered five tips for giving feedback in a non-threatening way. While those tips are good in general and will help you in any coaching conversation, there is a specific situation that calls for some extra care – coaching and offering performance feedback to friends who now report to you. There are a number of ways that this particular coaching … [Read more...]
How to Give Feedback in a Non-Threatening Way
What do you think when someone says that they would like to “give you some feedback”? Do you assume they have compliments or criticisms to offer? If you are like most people, your mind goes in the negative direction and you assume that what they want to tell you is what you did wrong. It’s likely true for you and for the people on your team for whom you would like to have … [Read more...]
Focus First On Building Conflict Confidence
At one time, I thought I taught conflict resolution. However, over time, I have come to realize that I don’t really teach conflict resolution as much as I teach conflict confidence. To resolve a conflict, you need the other person’s cooperation. Because you cannot demand or force cooperation, you have no control over how the other person will respond to your efforts. As a … [Read more...]
FAQ Series: The Best Way to Communicate with Others
Would you like a simple communication short-cut? Would you like to know the single, best way to communicate with other people? The good news is that there is a simple answer... The best way to communicate with others is the way that is easiest for them to receive and interpret your intended message. The bad news is that this simple answer is actually quite difficult to … [Read more...]
Five Questions to Consider Before You Talk with an Employee about Attitude
In a previous post, I shared four goal-setting and recognition ideas you can use to encourage your team to have positive, engaged attitudes. As I said in that post, the issue is rather complex and the suggestions in that post are not the end of the discussion. Sometimes you can do everything in your power to create a positive and engaging work environment, and … [Read more...]
FAQ Series: Four Ways to Encourage Positive Attitudes
A common question that comes up in my work with leaders, especially new leaders, is related to employees with “bad attitudes.” People ask the question in many ways, and they often phrase it something like this: “How do I get a negative employee to put a positive spin on things and get rid of the negative attitude?” It is a well-intentioned question. It shows that … [Read more...]
FAQ Series: Six Coaching Points to Help Your Team Move Past Conflict
In two previous posts, I shared ways to help your team move beyond conflict and ways to focus your attention for better conflict resolution. Today, I’m turning my attention to coaching approaches you can use to encourage your team to behave in ways that lead to reducing the number of conflicts you experience and to resolving them more quickly when they happen. If your team … [Read more...]
3 Questions to Consider Before you Speak Assertively
Successful conflict resolution depends on the careful application of several communication and relationship-building principles and skills. Frankly, it can be complicated and difficult to do. One critical skill in the complicated mess of conflict resolution is assertive communication. As I speak, write, coach, and train on the application of assertive communication … [Read more...]