Susan Scott's Blog, page 71

Fierce Resources: What Managers Can Do When Employees Engage in Conflict

This week’s Fierce resource was published on TLNT.com and was written by Kevin Mason.

What Managers Can Do When Employees Engage in Conflict outlines five tips to help resolve conflict in a productive manner. Think of the last time you were angry, how hard was it for you to listen? To be present in the conversation? Often the biggest challenge is to check our egos and emotions at the door to have a more productive and honest conversation. As leaders, we should all be encouraging our teams to have direct conversations to enrich each relationship.

Think of a time when you needed to have a difficult conversation, how did you handle it? What would you do differently? Join Fierce and the Human Capital Institute on Wednesday, April 8th at 1 pm for a webcast: Fierce Conversations: How to Address Toxic Employees.

“Focus on listening – It is not necessary to take sides when it comes to putting out small fires. Escalating anger is often slowed down when you lend a sympathetic ear to each party. Avoid inserting your opinions and simply provide your full attention. This is the beginning of an open dialogue.”

Read the full article.

The post Fierce Resources: What Managers Can Do When Employees Engage in Conflict appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

Fierce Resources: What Manager’s Can Do When Employees Engage in Conflict

This week’s Fierce resource was published on TLNT.com and was written by Kevin Mason.

What Manager’s Can Do When Employees Engage in Conflict outlines five tips to help resolve conflict in a productive manner. Think of the last time you were angry, how hard was it for you to listen? To be present in the conversation? Often the biggest challenge is to check our egos and emotions at the door to have a more productive and honest conversation. As leaders, we should all be encouraging our teams to have direct conversations to enrich each relationship.

Think of a time when you needed to have a difficult conversation, how did you handle it? What would you do differently? Join Fierce and the Human Capital Institute on Wednesday, April 8th at 1 pm for a webcast: Fierce Conversations: How to Address Toxic Employees.

“Focus on listening – It is not necessary to take sides when it comes to putting out small fires. Escalating anger is often slowed down when you lend a sympathetic ear to each party. Avoid inserting your opinions and simply provide your full attention. This is the beginning of an open dialogue.”

Read the full article.

 

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How to Confront: 3 Traps to Avoid

There are two places where confrontation can go seriously awry. The first is when you initially confront someone and deliver your message. Hopefully, you’ve done your homework around this and are using the 60-second Opening Statement from our Confrontation program. If you are, congratulations! You’ve avoided pitfall #1.

The second opportunity for things to go sideways is immediately after Step #1 above. Sorry folks, no one said this would be easy! The great news is that navigating the whitewater is simple once you’re aware of the upcoming traps.

Okay. You’ve delivered your statement and it’s their turn to speak. Lets assume you are confronting someone in customer service whose behavior towards a client was a little lacking, shall we say. Here are the 3 most common tactics you will encounter and an example of each:

Deny: “It wasn’t me, you must have me confused with someone else. I would never behave that way.”

Defend: “Well, you weren’t there. You should have heard what the customer was saying about our company. And even about you! In fact, I think I deserve a raise based on how I dealt with that.”

Deflect: “Okay, but Suzie does that all the time and I don’t see you confronting her. Is there some kind of special treatment going on here? Is she your little pet??”

And they just get more creative from there. The problem isn’t that they go there. The problem is that we follow them there.

Rather, we need to keep the conversation focused on the issue at hand no matter what curve balls come your way. Bring it right back without engaging. For example, I might respond to #3 by saying, “We aren’t here to speak about Suzie. We’re here to talk about the effect your behavior is having on our relationship with a key client. That’s the issue I’d like to focus on. Talk with me about that.” For more ideas on how to manage toxic employees, both the usual suspects and those who fly under the radar, join us for a webinar: Fierce Conversations: How to Address Toxic Employees on April 8th at 1 PM PST.

Do this every time they stray from the issue or throw out a trap. Eventually, they’ll realize there will be no escaping and they’ll focus on the here and now.

This blog was originally published on the Fierce Blog on March 3, 2011 and was written by Halley Bock, President & CEO, Fierce, Inc.

The post How to Confront: 3 Traps to Avoid appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

How to Confront: 3 Traps to Avoid

There are two places where confrontation can go seriously awry. The first is when you initially confront someone and deliver your message. Hopefully, you’ve done your homework around this and are using the 60-second Opening Statement from our Confrontation program. If you are, congratulations! You’ve avoided pitfall #1.

The second opportunity for things to go sideways is immediately after Step #1 above. Sorry folks, no one said this would be easy! The great news is that navigating the whitewater is simple once you’re aware of the upcoming traps.

Okay. You’ve delivered your statement and it’s their turn to speak. Lets assume you are confronting someone in customer service whose behavior towards a client was a little lacking, shall we say. Here are the 3 most common tactics you will encounter and an example of each:

Deny: “It wasn’t me, you must have me confused with someone else. I would never behave that way.”

Defend: “Well, you weren’t there. You should have heard what the customer was saying about our company. And even about you! In fact, I think I deserve a raise based on how I dealt with that.”

Deflect: “Okay, but Suzie does that all the time and I don’t see you confronting her. Is there some kind of special treatment going on here? Is she your little pet??”

And they just get more creative from there. The problem isn’t that they go there. The problem is that we follow them there.

Rather, we need to keep the conversation focused on the issue at hand no matter what curve balls come your way. Bring it right back without engaging. For example, I might respond to #3 by saying, “We aren’t here to speak about Suzie. We’re here to talk about the effect your behavior is having on our relationship with a key client. That’s the issue I’d like to focus on. Talk with me about that.” For more ideas on how to manage toxic employees, both the usual suspects and those who fly under the radar, join us for a webinar: Fierce Conversations: How to Manage Toxic Employees on April 8th at 1 PM PST.

Do this every time they stray from the issue or throw out a trap. Eventually, they’ll realize there will be no escaping and they’ll focus on the here and now.

The post How to Confront: 3 Traps to Avoid appeared first on Fierce Leadership Blog.

Fierce Tip of the Week: Confront a Toxic Coworker

It is the gossiper. It is the victim. It is the slacker.

Toxic employees show up in many forms.

Fierce conducted a survey on toxic employees a little over a year ago. Out of 1,000 executives and employees, 30 percent argue with coworkers once a month, and 55 percent feel that a negative supervisor, peer, and employee are all equally detrimental to the morale of an organization.

So what do you do about those troublemakers? Sixty-two percent said they opt to confront toxic coworkers. It is important to have the conversation on the impact of the behavior – not just for the relationship, but also for yourself.

This week’s tip is to confront a toxic coworker. If offering constructive feedback has not made the situation improve, it’s time for a direct conversation.

It is a skill to confront well. One tip: it is important to name the problem and be able to give specific examples. We have other tips and tricks around confrontation.

Join us on April 8th with our CEO, Halley Bock, to learn more about toxic employees and what to do with them – even if the toxic employee is you.

The post Fierce Tip of the Week: Confront a Toxic Coworker appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

Fierce Tip of the Week: Confront a Toxic Coworker

It is the gossiper. It is the victim. It is the slacker.

Toxic employees show up in many forms.

Fierce conducted a survey on toxic employees a little over a year ago. Out of 1,000 executives and employees, 30 percent argue with coworkers once a month, and 55 percent feel that a negative supervisor, peer, and employee are all equally detrimental to the morale of an organization.

So what do you do about those troublemakers? Sixty-two percent said they opt to confront toxic coworkers. It is important to have the conversation on the impact of the behavior – not just for the relationship, but also for yourself.

This week’s tip is to confront a toxic coworker. If offering constructive feedback has not made the situation improve, it’s time for a direct conversation.

It is a skill to confront well. One tip: it is important to name the problem and be able to give specific examples. We have other tips and tricks around confrontation.

Join us on April 8th with our CEO, Halley Bock, to learn more about toxic employees and what to do with them – even if the toxic employee is you.  

The post Fierce Tip of the Week: Confront a Toxic Coworker appeared first on Fierce Leadership Blog.

Fierce Resources: Leadership: A Personal Journey of Development

This week’s Fierce resource was published on Ted.com and features Reece Kurtenbach.

As soon as you hear the title, Leadership: A Personal Journey of Development, your heads are nodding and your thinking yes- I know this feeling. Maybe you’ve experienced it several times or maybe you’re new to leading. Trust that you will explore this idea often.

Take the time to reflect on where you started out in your career, what strides have you made? Are you where you want to be? Why or why not?

“Surprises come at us, the email, the phone call, a person will approach us with a crisis, an opportunity. Our beautiful picture is destroyed. The greatest lessons I have learned are in times of stress. In these times I believe the advice we receive and give has the greatest impact on future behavior.”

Watch the full TedXTalk here.

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What Are Your Top Leadership Fears?

Fear is a very real emotion for many leaders and often it has a prime seat at the table when tasked with making decisions, innovating, or trying new experiences.

I remember once being told by a teacher, who was not impressed with my jungle gym skills, that I lacked a necessary level of fear. That always stuck with me, because while it didn’t bother me at all to not look before I leaped, there were things that terrified me. What scares leaders is different for everybody. One leader might be terrified about delegating their responsibilities and then not even think twice about green lighting a new project with many unknowns.

The reality is that things become less scary when the dialogue is open and honest. Nothing combats fear faster than having a conversation – whether it’s with others or yourself. If you think about a common tactic of a fear-based leader, it’s usually shutting down communication and limiting the conversation.

Ask yourself: Are there people within my organization who know what scares me as a leader? Does my team know what triggers me or puts me in cold sweats? What would happen if I even dared to say my fears out loud?

While it may seem like your burden to bear, letting others know what jolts you is humbling and shows vulnerability, which builds trust and emotional capital with your team. It also begins your development through those worries.

For leaders, it’s important to know: How do you show up when you’re scared? What’s the impact on your leadership style and the team?

Building this awareness happens when you give yourself permission to not be the “perfect” leader. Have the conversation about what scares you, how that impacts your leadership style, and continue to talk with others through your fear.

Start the conversation with us, we want to know: What are your top leadership fears?

This blog was originally published on the Fierce Leadership Blog and was written by Jaime Navarro.

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Fierce Tip of the Week: Have a Conversation with Yourself

This week is the last full week of March. That means that one quarter is in the books for 2015.

When you look back at the last three months, what are you most proud of? What are you most embarrassed by? What have you learned? What do you think you should have learned?

In order to go where you really want to go, at Fierce, we urge you to have the conversations with yourself. Get very clear about your direction and vision. Be direct.

I always start the year with lofty goals. Hence why I write about having grace with yourself in January. And with the hustle of a new year -comes a demanding first quarter. I am sure you can relate to feeling like many of the things you wanted to accomplish are still lingering.

After hours of conversations with leaders, I find that this time of year is when we all need to stop and revisit intentions. It is such a focus in December and January…and then, life gets the best of us. And now it’s April.

This week’s tip is to find time to write your stump speech. Susan Scott, Founder of Fierce, Inc., recommends that you do this once a year. So if you haven’t yet, carve some time to get away and concentrate.

Answer the questions:

Where are you going?

Why are you going there?

Who is going with you?

How are you going to get there?

Make your speech clear and concise. Be able to share it with anyone who asks…

And even with those who don’t.

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Fierce Resources: The Naked Truth: How to Uncover An Insecure Leader

This week’s Fierce resource was published on Inc.com and was written by Lolly Daskal, President & CEO, Lead From Within.

The Naked Truth: How to Uncover An Insecure Leader reveals the damage of working with an insecure leader and the impact it has on teams and organizations. We can all be a little insecure at times, in fact walking into a meeting and discussing marketing tactics when we are on the sales team may seem out of our wheelhouse and the truth is that’s OK. If everyone knew everything, organizations wouldn’t get very far. The trick? Be comfortable not knowing the answer and allowing someone else to be the expert. In each of our Fierce programs we teach people how to make room for conversations to take place. That is where growth happens.

What is the impact of an insecure leader? What happens when no one speaks up?

“Insecure leaders are petrified of coming across as insignificant or incompetent, so they overcompensate by pretending they know it all. They rarely ask questions–and when they do, they almost never wait for the answer.”

Read the full article here.

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