Stop Avoiding Critical Conversations
A new year brings new opportunities, IF we change the way we did things last year.
Critical conversations are a necessary part of enterprise. Workplace conflict doesn't just go away. It festers. It becomes bigger than the original cause, and when it's ignored by supervisors and managers, a culture of resentment, anger and frustration breeds, resulting in poor moral, low productivity, staff turnover and the possibility of violence.
Why do leaders let this happen? They just simply don't have the tools to manage conflict effectively, so they avoid it altogether, which has a negative impact on the organization, and the long-term careers of the leaders themselves. For any manager, supervisor or leader, the ability to confront problems and handle conflict is not optional.
We don't have to wait for those in leadership roles to 'right the ship'. All staff have the ability to stand up, speak up and master their workplace relationships. We must embrace conflict and confront the challenges by having conversations that will clear us of resentment and negative emotions, while maintaining good relationships and rapport with colleagues.
You can
defuse conflict effectively and return to productive relationships. Here are two initial steps.
#1 - Take responsibility for creating the workplace atmosphere and business success that you want to work within. Don't leave it up to someone else. Be a leader, at least of yourself, and other will likely be inspired to follow regardless of whether you have a leadership position or not.
#2 - Seek to understand people by listening to them. If you feel a sense of disagreement with someone or some circumstances, chances are you might not know enough about them, or it, and seeking to understand is a great way to let others speak while you hone your listening skills. These skills are the least popular, but the most appreciated by the human spirit.
For more advanced techniques, seek and you shall find. They're not far. Group training and individual coaching in Workplace Relationships and Assertive and Confrontational Skills for the entire team is just a phone call away.
Penny Tremblay
Director, Tremblay Leadership Center
705-358-3396
