Turning Conflict into a Positive for Your Organization

Employees are people and, let’s face it, where there are people, there’s conflict. Managers and human resources professionals sometimes have a tendency to avoid conflict in hopes that it will resolve on its own. Unfortunately, letting conflict go unaddressed in the workplace can lead to major problems.

Conflicts arise for any number of reasons, including personality clashes, differing opinions about work tasks, questionable organizational structure, opposing values, weak management and poor communication. Whatever the reason, conflict that’s managed well can lead to positive outcomes like better solutions to pressing issues and improved business relationships, notes the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Managing it poorly — or ignoring it — can be disastrous.

The trouble with avoiding conflict

Conflict that’s left to fester costs businesses big every year in subpar performance, absenteeism, staff turnover, missed deadlines, reduced quality, lost sales and lower customer satisfaction. Employee morale also can go down the drain for the people involved in the conflict and for those forced to work with them.

Managing conflict is critical. Using it to the advantage of your organization is even better. But how?

Create managed debates

Set up regular meetings for questions and formal debate to keep discussion within a professional forum rather than around the water cooler, Entrepreneur magazine advises. Be sure to limit the scope of discussions and have a neutral party who can serve as a moderator to head off rehashing the same issues every week.

Respect all opinions

In your scheduled debate sessions and in impromptu discussions, treat all opinions with respect. You don’t want to give the appearance of favoritism toward certain staff members. Insist that employees also are respectful toward each other — and toward you — in all discussions.

Level the playing field

Managers and HR professionals understand that discussions take on a different tone when the CEO is in the room. As much as possible, drive home the point that everyone is equal in the debate sessions. Don’t let potentially beneficial communication be thwarted by the boundaries of roles and titles.

Keep it professional

Ensure that feedback from management team members is free of negative emotions, personal judgments and labels, as Entrepreneur advises. Discussions overall should be kept focused on business and should stay clear of any personal issues, which are best addressed with HR staff in private. It’s never appropriate to disparage staff or to comment on private relationships or activities.

Focus on solutions

Debate sessions can easily turn into never-ending gripe sessions that rehash the same problems without getting anywhere. Frame discussions from the beginning in terms of finding solutions. If a particular employee raises an issue or points out a problem, does she have thoughts on how it might be solved? Always work toward resolving conflict and generating solutions to problems.

Make it about team-building

Staff members — including senior leadership — are a team, and that point should be reinforced constantly. Everyone should be working toward the common goal of productivity and pleasing customers. If that’s not happening, it’s a problem. Reinforce the idea that despite any personal differences or conflicts, you are all part of the same united team.

Outside your debate sessions, plan some fun activities like potlucks or outings to let people get to know each other as people, as Intuit advises. People who know each other better are more likely to get along, or at least to tolerate each other.

Intervene when necessary

There’s conflict, and then there’s harassment and bullying. It’s critical that managers and HR team members know the difference and step in when necessary. Conflicts in the workplace often stem from personalities that simply don’t mesh well, but issues may be much more serious in some cases. If an employee is being insulted on the basis of gender, religion, ethnicity or other personal factors, it’s time to step in — with input from an employment lawyer.

Turning conflict into a positive for your organization

Conflict exists in every organization. How you handle it can mean the difference in a chaotic, tense workplace and one in which employees work together as a team to solve problems. To use conflict for the better, expect it and set up a process for managing it.

ready set go goal setting

Get Ready, Get Set, Goal! Achieving Success Through Goal Setting

 

Goals are an important part of life.  Whether working to become a better version of ourselves, desiring to improve relationships, seeking more fulfillment, or desiring greater success, goals keep us moving forward.  Few people actually take the time to set goals, and even fewer write them down.  But studies have proven that those who actually write down goals are largely successful as compared to those who don’t, let alone those who don’t have a clear sense of their goals.  Developing goals help us to attain a more desirable life, and to build self-confidence as we reflect on the concerted efforts we made to end up in a happier place than where we started.  Working to achieve goals provides a great sense of empowerment.

If you are ready to get on the path toward positive change in your life, getting those goals set and preparing to put them into action will be the key foundation to a stronger, more fulfilled you.  Are you ready?

Get Ready

In preparing to set your goals, it is important to look inward and consider what changes will truly make you happier.  The goals you make should be about you and your desires, and not what you perceive others may want out of you.  Consider what actually motivates you to be the best you that is possible.  Once these reflections are taken into account, begin by making a list of the changes or improvements that you would like to make and prioritize them.  Upon outlining the particular goals you have for yourself, it is time to set your goals, and yourself, up for success.

Get Set

In setting your goals, it is extremely important to articulate them positively. Don’t consider what you will lose; instead, focus on what you will gain.  For example, rather than stating that you would like to eat less junk-food, aim for eating healthfully. Rather than wanting less stress, focus on creating a more balanced lifestyle.  Framing goals in a positive light increases motivation, which leads to success and decreases self-criticism, which leads to defeat.

Secondly, it is important to clearly define your goals. For example, while desiring greater happiness is a great objective, to reach that end, the goal that you set must be not be vague.  What does happiness look like to you? What specific areas in your life can you take control of to create greater happiness?  Once you can clearly specify where you want to arrive at, you are nearly ready to set your goals in place.

A crucial element in setting goals is to ask yourself whether they are realistic and possible for you to attain.  Consider the steps you will need to take in order to reach those goals, and how long it may actually take for those steps to produce a possible outcome. Break big goals down into smaller ones, and set a time-limit that is possible to meet that goal so that you can measure your progress.

Once your specific, positive, realistic goals are written down, you are ready to take action.

Goal!

Achieving your goals requires action, but if you are going to continue to move toward progress, you need to have prompts and markers in place.  Displaying your goals where you will see them throughout the day will encourage, remind, and motivate you to continue toward success.  Having a support system in place, where a friend, family member, or colleague can check in on your progress is equally important to keeping you accountable in moving forward.  Lastly, it is essential that successes – even small ones – are celebrated, ensuring you that betterment is possible.

Are you ready to make changes in your life? You are the only thing standing in the way. Go for it!

Six Surprising Facts How Small Changes Lead to Big Results

You may be surprised at just how effective small changes can be in leading to big results.

Here are six reasons why you don’t have to start big to achieve big things.

 5 degree Shannon quote

  • Big steps can seem overwhelming: Beginning your journey with small steps makes it is easier to get started.  Since getting started on a big task usually seems to be the most difficult part, starting small will help you in the long run.
  • Small goals are more attainable: While small goals may seem insignificant, they are also easier to achieve.  Once you’ve started achieving small goals, you will be more motivated to continue.
  • It’s gratifying to achieve many small accomplishments: A sense of accomplishment helps you feel better about yourself.  This makes it easier to move on to the next step toward achieving all of your goals.
  • Small things add up over time: If you accomplish one small goal 3-4 times a week, over the course of a month you will have reached an average of 14 mini goals.  This is quite an accomplishment considering it all started with something that seemed insignificant at the time.
  • It’s easier to procrastinate when it comes to difficult tasks: It’s much easier to put off doing tasks that seem too big and complicated.  When something seems overwhelming, most of the time it just seems easier to not even try.
  • It’s harder to make excuses for not doing small tasks: Starting with small steps makes it harder to justify putting them off.  Knowing that you only have to put a few minutes towards reaching your goal gives you very little excuses for not doing it.

For help in getting started on your five degree shifts, contact us.  We look forward to hearing from you!

What You Should Know About Executive Coaching

Therapy takes you from where you are now and helps you go back and figure out how you got there. With executive coaching, it’s really about where you are right now and where you ultimately want to be. It’s about taking you from the place where you find yourself, help you to articulate and get clear about where you want to go, and then give you the tools to get there.

Executive Coaching

1.  Executive Coaching Does NOT Fix Broken Executives:  While some executives need extra work to improve their performance, a lot of executives are growing in their leadership capabilities with the help of a coach.  Why is it so effective?  Christine Turner’s research in the Ivey Business Journal indicates that executives improve through guided and focused one on one attention with a coach.  Turner says:

The executives said the most significant benefit was the individualized attention they received from their coaches. Add to this the fact that executive coaching takes place over an extended period of time and it becomes a great way to acquire and ingrain new skills.

2.  Executive Coaching is NOT Therapy:  The thought of lying on a couch and talking to someone who is not looking at us and answering questions like, “And how does that make you feel?” is terrifying to most executives.  Coaching is not about dealing with issues in a person’s past necessarily.  Coaches are focused on present performance and getting the most out of a leader.  Executive coaching may feel a bit like therapy when their coach exposes blind spots in leadership areas.   The pain is momentary because it serves as a learning experience.  The executive is coached to develop new skills to handle specific performance issues.  Sometimes, everyone but the executive can see what is happening to the morale of a team (or whatever issue is looming to hold back progress) — it takes “outside eyes” to help the executive adjust and begin to increase effectiveness again.  More than anything, executive coaching is an opportunity to learn.  Thomas J. Ucko describes the process:

Executive coaching is a structured process that starts with feedback about the executive’s leadership behaviors, and involves the executive in determining goals for more useful behaviors and in designing a plan for achieving these goals

3.  Coaching Gets Results:  Although Executive coaching is not a magic bullet, nor a quick fix, many executives are experiencing the positive results of it.  The Sherpacoaching 2014 report claims:

Coaches in the business for 2 years or less report results as 51% good, 49% excellent. Veteran coaches, those in business 15 years or more, see 23% of coaching as producing good results, and 76% of coaching arriving at excellent outcomes.

Executive Coaching is growing in popularity because it is helping executives increase their effectiveness as leaders.  Not only are the executives benefiting, but so are their companies and direct reports.  It makes sense to invest in Executive Coaching to multiple the effectiveness of an organization.

Contact Us to give you the tools to take you where you want to be.

6 Tips for Being an Effective Facilitator

Being a leader is not just about making good decisions behind closed doors. It means understanding and listening to the perspectives of coworkers and stakeholders. A well facilitated discussion ensures everyone’s voices are heard, builds connections among group members, and generates excitement for the topic being discussed. Here are a few tips to take the challenge out of effective facilitating as you hone your own leadership style.

yardstick measure Steve Jobs BB watermark FB

Be clear about the goal of the session. If it’s a brainstorm session and people expect consensus, they will be dissatisfied. If the goal is consensus, and people continue to present new ideas, they too will be frustrated. Explicitly sharing the goal helps keep the conversation moving in the right direction.

Use people’s names. This may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s important to remember. Especially in groups where not everyone knows each other, consciously using people’s names when you ask them to speak builds a sense of openness and trust in the group.

Restate and connect ideas. This shows that you listen to and value everyone’s input. Restating allows for more people to hear and understand the original thought. Connecting ideas builds a conversation rather than a lecture.

Don’t be afraid of silence. Those who need a little more time to process a question will appreciate it. Everyone will see and understand that their participation is valued and needed. Restate or ask another question after a while, but give people enough time to respond thoughtfully.

Allow for conflicting opinions; don’t take sides. It’s okay that not everyone agrees. As a facilitator, help the participants understand the nature of their conflict. Dig a little deeper to find out why they feel the way they do.

Show your enthusiasm and excitement. When a group member asks a good question or makes a good point, don’t be afraid to show you think so. If you are excited about a topic, others will be, too.

Contact us to learn more about how to be an effective facilitator!