Impact Today™
Monday, September 29, 2008
An agreement settled?
Although conflict is a normal part of growing a relationship it can easily become unhealthy. This occurs when one or both of the parties involved in the conflict are no longer willing or able to consider the other person’s beliefs, attitude, or values to be valid. The savvy leader understands this and looks for signs that the line between healthy and unhealthy conflict is nearing.
At a small factory the Quality Control Manager was involved in a conflict with the Production Manager. The Quality Control Manager sensed the argument was reaching the line between healthy and unhealthy conflict so decided to take charge of the argument.
“Look here, John,” he began. “I’ll admit I am wrong if you’ll admit I am right.”
The Production Manager quickly agreed, insisting the Quality Control Manager go first.
Click here to see how well it went.
Although conflict is a normal part of growing a relationship it can easily become unhealthy. This occurs when one or both of the parties involved in the conflict are no longer willing or able to consider the other person’s beliefs, attitude, or values to be valid. The savvy leader understands this and looks for signs that the line between healthy and unhealthy conflict is nearing.At a small factory the Quality Control Manager was involved in a conflict with the Production Manager. The Quality Control Manager sensed the argument was reaching the line between healthy and unhealthy conflict so decided to take charge of the argument.
“Look here, John,” he began. “I’ll admit I am wrong if you’ll admit I am right.”
The Production Manager quickly agreed, insisting the Quality Control Manager go first.
Click here to see how well it went.
Labels: Anecdote, Conflict_Management
¶ 9/29/2008 0 Comments Links to this post
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Create a Climate of 'Hearty Appreciation' at Work
If peace at your workplace is an unknown, so is productivity. You can count on it, because two siblings named Conflict and Stress grow prolifically in their own little noxious environment and have the power to choke out the healthy interaction that every workplace needs to thrive.
Workplace conflict is a byproduct of stress (and vice versa), and productivity is one of conflict's victims. Author and corporate peacemaker Anna Maravelas lists many more in her book, How to Reduce Workplace Conflict and Stress: How Leaders and Their Employees Can Protect Their Sanity and Productivity from Turf Wars.
After making the case that conflict and stress are rampant in the workplace, the author also provides ways to fight back – in a nonviolent way, of course. Notes Maravelas in the first chapter: For our workplaces to thrive it's imperative that you understand the principles that underlie hostility and take steps to move your workplace in the opposite direction. Creating climates of hearty appreciation, where employees and management work in optimal health and productivity, takes commitment and skill.
As experts note, 88 percent of Americans cite hostility, desk-rage, and workplace incivility as top concerns. Maravelas has designed her book to help "protect pride, profit and productivity from these disabling emotions." Using her techniques, readers will be able to:
If peace at your workplace is an unknown, so is productivity. You can count on it, because two siblings named Conflict and Stress grow prolifically in their own little noxious environment and have the power to choke out the healthy interaction that every workplace needs to thrive.Workplace conflict is a byproduct of stress (and vice versa), and productivity is one of conflict's victims. Author and corporate peacemaker Anna Maravelas lists many more in her book, How to Reduce Workplace Conflict and Stress: How Leaders and Their Employees Can Protect Their Sanity and Productivity from Turf Wars.
After making the case that conflict and stress are rampant in the workplace, the author also provides ways to fight back – in a nonviolent way, of course. Notes Maravelas in the first chapter: For our workplaces to thrive it's imperative that you understand the principles that underlie hostility and take steps to move your workplace in the opposite direction. Creating climates of hearty appreciation, where employees and management work in optimal health and productivity, takes commitment and skill.
As experts note, 88 percent of Americans cite hostility, desk-rage, and workplace incivility as top concerns. Maravelas has designed her book to help "protect pride, profit and productivity from these disabling emotions." Using her techniques, readers will be able to:
- Handle the daily onslaught of frustration without losing momentum, mood or confidence.
- Avoid the conflict and cynicism that drains profits, resources, and relationships.
- Discover why anger makes people irrational, lonely, and depressed and how to quickly calm agitated colleagues and customers.
- Experience the fiscal and personal benefits of being "hard on the problem and soft on the people."
- Replace bitterness about the past with shared responsibility for the future.
- Create a blame-resistant, emotionally resilient workforce.
Labels: Books, Conflict_Management, Stress
¶ 8/31/2008 0 Comments Links to this post
Friday, July 25, 2008
The doorbell
Walking home from the bus stop an elderly lady spotted two young boys on the front porch of a home along the way. They were still in their school uniforms and were using their backpacks for altitude as they tried to reach the doorbell.
Her heart touched by the lads, she wondered why today’s parents don’t watch for their children when school is out.
So decided to help. Walking up to the house she gave the doorbell a good, solid push.
As soon as it rang the two boys picked up their backpacks and yelled, “Run!” and disappeared around the corner.
Life Lesson: Reacting before you get the facts can lead to embarrassment.
Walking home from the bus stop an elderly lady spotted two young boys on the front porch of a home along the way. They were still in their school uniforms and were using their backpacks for altitude as they tried to reach the doorbell.Her heart touched by the lads, she wondered why today’s parents don’t watch for their children when school is out.
So decided to help. Walking up to the house she gave the doorbell a good, solid push.
As soon as it rang the two boys picked up their backpacks and yelled, “Run!” and disappeared around the corner.
Life Lesson: Reacting before you get the facts can lead to embarrassment.
Labels: Anecdote, Behaviors, Conflict_Management
¶ 7/25/2008 1 Comments Links to this post
Friday, June 20, 2008
The note
Unresolved conflict is a major cause of lost productivity, low morale, and high turnover. Even though unresolved conflict is typically easy to identify long-term conflict is seldom addressed by management.
Many employees never get over the unresolved conflict without the efforts of someone equipped with conflict management skills. Instead they use their “conflict personality”. One of the four conflict personalities is passive-aggressive. Here is a story showing how it works:
A couple had a huge argument over dinner which led into a “cold-shoulder” period throughout the evening. The matter had not been resolved by bedtime so the couple skipped their usual verbal “good nights”.
However before going to bed the man, fearing he would oversleep for an important breakfast meeting, wrote a note asking her to wake him up by 7:00 the next morning. He did not think it would be a problem as she left for work each day at 6:30. He placed the note on her pillow and went to sleep.
He was groggy as he became conscious in the morning, quickly noticing the digits on the clock were an 8, 1, and 5. Furious, he lept to his feet and hastily got dressed.
“How could she do this to me?” he thought.
As he stormed through the kitchen toward the backdoor he spied a note taped to the coffeemaker. “It’s 7:00, dear, time to get up.”
Life Lesson: Resolve conflicts or you’ll pay the price.
Unresolved conflict is a major cause of lost productivity, low morale, and high turnover. Even though unresolved conflict is typically easy to identify long-term conflict is seldom addressed by management.Many employees never get over the unresolved conflict without the efforts of someone equipped with conflict management skills. Instead they use their “conflict personality”. One of the four conflict personalities is passive-aggressive. Here is a story showing how it works:
A couple had a huge argument over dinner which led into a “cold-shoulder” period throughout the evening. The matter had not been resolved by bedtime so the couple skipped their usual verbal “good nights”.
However before going to bed the man, fearing he would oversleep for an important breakfast meeting, wrote a note asking her to wake him up by 7:00 the next morning. He did not think it would be a problem as she left for work each day at 6:30. He placed the note on her pillow and went to sleep.
He was groggy as he became conscious in the morning, quickly noticing the digits on the clock were an 8, 1, and 5. Furious, he lept to his feet and hastily got dressed.
“How could she do this to me?” he thought.
As he stormed through the kitchen toward the backdoor he spied a note taped to the coffeemaker. “It’s 7:00, dear, time to get up.”
Life Lesson: Resolve conflicts or you’ll pay the price.
Labels: Anecdote, Conflict_Management
¶ 6/20/2008 1 Comments Links to this post
