I tend to notice how people respond to certain words. I guess that's something of an “occupational hazard” for me. As I watch how people respond, I look for patterns. While tone and body language can often turn minor disagreements into full-on arguments, it's more often the words people use that cause conflicts to grow. So which words are guaranteed to start or escalate a … [Read more...]
Managing Tricky Conversations in the Workplace
We are living in complicated times, friends. People seem to be up in arms over everything. Take this week's brouhaha over Nike deciding to include Colin Kaepernick in a new campaign. There seem to be two very distinct opinions regarding the company's decision, and neither side is pulling any punches. Once upon a time ago, our opinions were kept to ourselves or shared with a … [Read more...]
9 Tips to Encourage a Group of Loners to Work Together
You are leading a team and some (maybe all) of the members see themselves as individual contributors, not necessarily members of a team. They state and show that they’d rather work alone, and prefer individual accomplishments and results over tying their fortunes to a team. You want a cohesive team. That is, a group collaborating freely and harnessing the synergy that comes … [Read more...]
Ensure Your Employees Don’t Quit YOU
Unemployment rates are low, and your employees have options. What's more is that employees are more likely to quit because of you, their manager, than anything else in the workplace. So if you want to avoid the high financial and productivity costs of turnover, guess what: You play a key role in keeping them from jumping ship. In fact, you have a hand in every aspect of … [Read more...]
When Employees Just Don’t “Get It”
When you have explained something a number of times to the same person or group of people, it is really easy to allow your frustration with the communication process to build. It's a small step from frustration to anger and another small step from anger to an escalating conflict. Other people's failure to understand you generally indicates these possible scenarios: You … [Read more...]
4 Really Great Reasons to Write Positive Feedback Down
Every leader has been told that offering positive feedback is one of the most valuable things you can do. You've heard of all the benefits. You may have heard that you don’t do it enough. If you’ve been reading this blog, you've likely learned the basics of giving positive feedback successfully, such as: Make it timely Make it meaningful. Make it about the behavior, … [Read more...]
Ensure Cooperation (Even From Your Most Reluctant Employees)
How many times have you heard this before: “But this is the way we have always done it”? Employees often have problems adapting to organizational change and growth. Accustomed to the status quo, they are afraid of how changes will affect their positions. Will I have new duties? Will I need to work longer hours? Is everyone affected equally? Is my job in jeopardy? The fears … [Read more...]
Avoid Unnecessary Conflict With 1 Simple Change
"What religion are you?" The question hung in the air between the two teenagers engaged in a conversation about family rules and expectations. While I do not know this to be true, it appeared to me that they come from families with different expectations and limits. To me, the religion question was asked out of genuine curiosity. I thought that it was just a question … [Read more...]
4 Ways to Prevent Discrimination in Your Workplace
The concept of "sensitivity or anti-racial bias training" has been in the news a good bit lately, ever since the Starbucks' debacle back in April, when two black men were asked to leave a Philadelphia location, and then subsequently arrested, for doing what people across the country do at Starbucks all the time: sit, study, work, wait for others without ordering a thing. The … [Read more...]
8 Questions Every Leader Should Ask Before Letting Someone Go
This is a guest post by Piyush Patel, author of Lead Your Tribe, Love Your Work. There are plenty of studies to put numbers behind the costs of letting someone go. The Society for Human Resource Management, for example, indicates those costs to be as high as 50% to 60% of the employee's annual salary. What you won’t find as easily are stats for how it affects the … [Read more...]