Managing Conflict » Collaboration at work http://managingconflict.com/blog Conflict Management Strategies Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:37:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 The Power of Perception & a “Bless You” http://managingconflict.com/blog/the-power-of-perception-a-bless-you http://managingconflict.com/blog/the-power-of-perception-a-bless-you#comments Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:03:32 +0000 Carol Bowser http://managingconflict.com/blog/?p=36 Bless you

Bless you

This is an email I received from a colleague. I thought that I would share it with all of you -after getting permission and redacting. It is an excellent example of how1 statement can make a difference at work! READ on…

Good Morning ****,

I just had this happen to me and wanted to share it with you both…

To me there seems to be three types of people in this world � Optimists (the glass is half full), Pessimists (the glass is half empty) and your Optimistic Pessimists (the glass is half full � of POISON) ;o). I guess it is true however that perception is reality and we take things as we choose to see them.

Case in point my little email parlay with our front desk receptionist.

From: ***
Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2009 10:37 AM
To: ****
Subject: BLESS YOU!
________________________________________

From: ***
Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2009 11:04 AM
To: ***
Subject: RE: BLESS YOU!

Well Thank you Miss *** You just made my day. I am not sure what I did to deserve it but I will sure take it. Bless you, ***! I am glad that you are here with us!
T

________________________________________
________________________________________
From:***
Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2009 11:41 AM
To:***
Subject: RE: BLESS YOU!

I actually heard you sneeze.
Your welcome!
And thank you for the comment!

****

________________________________________

From: ***
Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2009 11:56 AM
To:****
Subject: RE: BLESS YOU!

HA HA HA! It wasn�t me you heard but I will save your bless you in my pocket for next time. ;o)

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]]> http://managingconflict.com/blog/the-power-of-perception-a-bless-you/feed 0 The Collaborative Leader – What are the Keys to the Castle? http://managingconflict.com/blog/the-collaborative-leader-what-are-the-keys-to-the-castle http://managingconflict.com/blog/the-collaborative-leader-what-are-the-keys-to-the-castle#comments Mon, 27 Apr 2009 10:00:33 +0000 Carol Bowser http://managingconflict.com/blog/the-collaborative-leader-what-are-the-keys-to-the-castle I am a geek for reading articles about leadership. Why? Because I hear over and over and over again from folks that they are desparate for keystheir leaders to control, moderate, address bad stuff at work. So when I found this article from HR Executive online I stood up and cheered.

According to the authors (didn’t save that part of the article) six attributes that distinguish successful collaborative leaders:- Here is their list and my (sometimes snarky) comments.

Patience

Amen to that! But Patience for what??? Dealing with people most likely. Yet, how many executives actually, exhibit this so that the people feel it? Most people want others to be patient with them, but patient doesn’t mean sacrificing business objectives so that people have unlimited time “to figure it out”. Patience generally comes from the leader knowing what the answer is and giving the other person room to figure it out.

Collective decision-making

Yeah, just wish that there was more definition of what that was or that people had a shared definition of it or what it looks like in practice. Collective decision-making could be taking information from multiple sources or it could be negotiating a solution.
Quick thinking

One would hope so. My impression is that the “quick thinking” attribute relates to problem solving and not delaying making difficult-and perhaps unpopular decisions. Leaders know that “things will resolve themselves”.
Tenacity

A big Double AMEN!!! According to our friends at Websters’ on line, tenacity is a persistence in maintaining or seeking something desired or valued. I love that. I love that so much that you can hear me telling colleagues and clients that “you must be tenacious and deliberate in applying conflict resolution skills!”
Relationship building

YEP–becuase it is really hard to be collaborative with strangers becuase you don’t know what their interests are, if they are as smart as you think you are, or if they are telling you the REAL STORY- not just a PR spin.
and DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!!!

CONFLICT HANDLING!

Leaders lead by example. You may be the best business person ever, but if you can’t set the tone at the highest levels for how differing opinions and poor behavior is addressed, no one will follow you through a buffet line let alone a risky venture or a new initiative.

So … how do you stack up, as a leader? As an informal leader? Is there more to add to the discussion? Eagerly awaiting your comments…..

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