School is back in session for most students and the topic of getting along with one another is always a central theme in classrooms. What a great place and age to learn to resolve “workplace” problems.
On that topic, I wanted to share 3 ways to reduce workplace conflicts.
1. Man Up. Do not ever send an e-mail about a sensitive issue or a conflict. The only e-mail that is acceptable is one that requests a time to sit down and talk. Schedule enough time with the person involved and bring your issue to them face-to-face.
2. It’s NOT About YOU. When having your face-to-face discussion about whatever issue you are facing, do not make it personal. Talk about the situation, not the person. For example, if someone keeps disrespecting you in team meetings, instead of saying “YOU always interrupt me” or “YOU always put down my ideas, WHY do you do that?” try something like “When I’m interrupted by your comments during meetings, I get the impression that you don’t value my contributions. Is my impression correct?“ Then be quiet and let them answer. The conversation is already less confrontational, but no less direct and clear.
3. If you must TATTLE, do it like a Kindergartner. Kids are very open communicators and we can learn something from that. Typically, before a kid gets an adult involved in their conflict, we hear something like “I’m gonna tell”. Here’s a life lesson. There are times that an issue needs to be escalated and resolved at a higher level. If you’ve practiced #1 and #2, this should rarely, if ever, happen, but if it does, the right way to escalate is to include the other person(s) in the conflict. Say something like, “I realize that we both feel strongly about this issue and we disagree about how to handle it. We must get it resolved for the sake of the customer/project/business. I plan to involve [insert supervisor's name here] to get their opinion and decide how to move forward. Would you like to be involved in that conversation?”
Put these ideas into practice and enjoy workplace communication and collaboration like never before. Have a great day!
Sales Team Meeting Agenda on this topic coming soon.
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