We’ve all been there. Something happens at work that lights our hair on fire. We immediately want to hit, or yell, or ball up our fists and stomp around. But knowing that’s not acceptable behavior in most workplaces, most of us try to suppress that reaction. Instead, we try to not react for a minute. …
I don’t know about you, but I’ve had a lot of weeks over the past couple of years when the overwhelm creeps in on me. Things pile up. Work gets busy. Home gets busy. Throw in an unexpected emergency, and I feel like I can’t get ahead of anything. And BAM. Overwhelm hits me. Back …
Every organization, without exception, we’ve encountered over the years has some issue with meetings. It appears to be one of those universal challenges. Meetings are something many people seem to brace themselves for, rather than looking forward to them. What would happen if we got proactive? Instead of feeling dread when that meeting invite comes …
We all do it, all the time. We move through our days making assumptions. Some of them are accurate, some of them are logical. This leads to a false sense that they are okay to make. But they are not. Assumptions are the root of all evil. Well, at least the root of all communication …
We face situations all the time where we aren’t getting what we need. I find the most difficult things to ask for are the ones which are less concrete. Asking for help in doing a physical task or solving an IT challenge is one thing. But to ask for what you need in terms of …
This is my area of expertise, to leave nothing unsaid. The “diplomatically” part is much more of a challenge. It is not a strong suit, to be candid. I’ve gotten myself into trouble by not recognizing when another approach might be better. And as many times as I’ve said too much or said it without …
You know the ones. The people in our workplaces that get labeled “difficult”. Or “hard to work with”. Maybe even “gate keepers”. But have you ever stopped to ask yourself, “What do they really want?” If you peek below the surface and go a little deeper, you may discover something surprising. We are Judgmental as …
“What did she mean by that?” is a phrase I’ve heard all too often throughout my life. Unfortunately, it’s rarely from the person who wants to know, directly to me. It almost always comes by a more circuitous (and less confrontational) route from a peace-making third party. The trouble is, half the time, I am …
Getting to the other side of a conflict can bring tremendous relief. Or it can leave you feeling unsettled. Maybe shaken by the whole experience. Regardless of how you’re feeling in the aftermath, it’s over. There can be some nasty unintended consequences from it. So what now? How do you move forward? What conflict? One …
You’ve tried to avoid the conflict that’s brewing. You may have tried to head it off at the pass, but maybe not. Either way, you’re in the thick of it… now what?! Let’s talk about what you can try to find your way back out of the conflict and onto more productive communication. Ellen’s Example. …
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