July 13, 20106 steps for turning problems (like gossip) into opportunities
For starters, here are your six tips for turning problems like gossip into opportunities.
1. Introduce the problem as a shared one.
2. Invite others to weigh in on why it is a problem.
3. Invite a discussion of possibilities. What kind of culture and agreements do you want to create?
4. Brainstorm action steps to achieve the possibilities.
5. Get commitment to implement the steps.
6. Have a follow-up meeting where you celebrate progress, tweak your steps and reaffirm your commitment.
That’s the short version.
And if you really want to learn how to turn problems like gossip into opportunities, register for my July 27th free webinar at www.perfectphrases.com.
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Related posts which may interest you
- A few tickets left for my how to stop gossip webinar with McGraw HIll
- Gossip and Manipulation Webinar Slides and Archives are Available
- AMC’s Mad Men almost a PowerPhrase: “I would appreciate it for the future if you did not say sh**y things about me behind my back.”
- A good way to handle gossip in the workplace and a great way
- Reader question: starting fresh when a negative employee returns from leave
July 6, 2010A good way to handle gossip in the workplace and a great way
Think you have a gossip problem? What you probably have is a contentious communication culture. Communication cultures reflect environments of trust or distrust. A high level of trust eliminates the need for defensive posturing and manipulation, which make it easier to resolve issues and reach clarity.
It’s important for managers to address office gossip issues. And there are bad ways to do that, good ways and great ways. This video shows you what a good way and a great way would be.
To get more tools abut how to handle a gossip and manipulative communication problem, register for my July 29th webinar at www.perfectphrases.com.
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Related posts which may interest you
- 6 steps for turning problems (like gossip) into opportunities
- A few tickets left for my how to stop gossip webinar with McGraw HIll
- Reader question about handling office gossip
- Free webinar on how to address gossip and manipulation. Meryl Runion, sponsored by McGraw Hill
- Communication challenges are opportunities. Gossip and manipulation webinar tomorrow is an opportunity to dynamize communication.
June 25, 2010Do you care too much? Jann Arden’s “Insensitive” seeks insensitivity lessons. HT be appropriately sensitive.
In the course of a deck-side conversation that spanned a number of topics, Online Image Consultant Mimi Tenace and I found ourselves concluding that we never want to depersonalize our businesses or lose our capacity to care about clients. Sometimes it can be inconvenient to care, but it’s much better than the alternative.
I listened to Jann Arden’s fabulous song Insensitive yesterday, enjoying the irony of her request to a dismissive lover that he offer her insensitivity lessons since he clearly is an expert in it. Here are some of her lyrics.
“I’m out of hope, I’m out of touch
I fell too fast, I feel too much
I thought that you might have
Some advice to give on how to be
Insensitive”
I have hung up the phone on several occasions wondering how some business people can be so insensitive to the human impact of their decisions. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wondered if the fact that I do care is a flaw. That thought becomes increasingly fleeting as 1) the world moves toward more personalization, 2) I increasingly find my people – who have caring as a part of their business MOs, and 3) my own commitment to integrating heart mind and will becomes stronger. so I don’t offer insensitivity levels. I teach how to balance mind, heart and will in communication. Check out the video and then read three tips below.
Three ways to balance sensitivity with logic and action.
1) Speak in terms of what you think, feel and want.
2) Review situations from a detached perspective. Then review them from a fully engaged perspective. Then create a sentence the expresses them both. (You can do it!)
3) Use my PowerPhrases tutorial for a conversation you need to have. http://www.speakstrong.com/tutorial/
My books are excellent resources for finding the balance. too. I recommend SpeakStrong for this.
June 19, 2010New article on rankism and synergy
If you don’t know the word rankism, you do know the experience. Rankism is the antithesis of synergy and causes all kinds of failures of the imagination.
You can read about it in my recent article, From Rankism to Dynamic Dignity: How to shed hierarchical limits and enliven synergy.
Check it out and post your thoughts here. It’s of special interest to managers and HR professionals.
June 18, 20103 ways to charm your lizard brain instead of ignoring him. Snake charming lessons.
First it was Michael Morgolis telling us to tiptoe around the lizard brain. Now it’s Seth Godin suggesting we deliberately ignore our lizard brain.
India has snake charmers for a reason.
I say you ignore your inner reptile at your peril. Stand up for your inner reptile. Make friends with him (or her.) Charm your lizard brain.
How?
1. Develop a personal relationship with him. I call mine Izzie, and you’re welcome to call yours Izzie too. Your inner reptile doesn’t like being treated like an “it” any more than anyone else does.
2. Listen to your Izzie. Give him room for unconditional expression. That’s one reason why I print Poison Phrases. It gives our Izzies a chance to frolic in possibilities we would never actually implement – but oh – it’s fun to consider.
3. Alchemize Izzie’s desires. Raise them up. What is your Izzie trying to accomplish? If Izzie is trying to get revenge, might he really be seeking a sense of dignity and respect? If you’ve been denying and ignoring your Izzie for a really long time, yours might be calling for some serious blood. But usually our Izzies are happy to take a higher road once we’ve listened to them and shown them how.
The old dynamics of communication meant powering through. The New Dynamics are far more engaged and collaborative. Yes, that means that we triunicate – our three brainlets collaborate with each other for a more inspired outcome. And that way we’re not sending so many mixed messages.
I’m putting an eBook together about our brainlets. In the meantime, you can read previous posts about Izzie here.
You ignore your Izzie at your own peril – but you embrace him to great advantage. Izzie is one powerful ally. I am continually charming mine, and mine is charming me back.
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Related posts which may interest you
- @getstoried Michael Margolis gives Izzie a bum rap. Stand up for your inner reptile!
- AMC’s Mad Men almost a PowerPhrase: “I would appreciate it for the future if you did not say sh**y things about me behind my back.”
- Discussion Topic ~ Names for brainlet critters
- Communication challenges are opportunities. Gossip and manipulation webinar tomorrow is an opportunity to dynamize communication.
- Kid corner: hilarious cell phone word game
May 27, 2010Seth Godin’s fantasy iPad ap for meetings nails your meeting needs.
It may not exist yet, but Seth Godin’s fantasy iPad application sure highlights both what is possible and needed for meetings in today’s dynamic new communication environment.
Check it our for Godin’s recommended iPad features, and then ask yourself what you can do to accomplish the same ends while we wait for the new technology.
May 25, 2010PowerPhrase: Glad we got that mistake out of the way. How can we use it to move forward?
Oh, I LOVE being with people who see mistakes as a part of life and the learning process.
Here’s a great phrase someone spoke to me once.
- Glad we got that mistake out of the way. How can we use it to move forward?
No shame, no blame, just momentum.
May 20, 2010Poison Phrase from movie Avatar: How can we make them collaborate?
In the film Avatar, Colonel Quaritch asks the question,
- How can we make them collaborate?
Collaboration is popular these days. I’m sure Colonel Quartich isn’t the only authoritarian to refer to collaboration so ironically.
Not my idea of collaboration.
May 14, 2010“Crazy” ideas fly in networked world. Hair to the rescue on the gulf coast.
Hair absorbs oil. We knew that. But who would have thought of using that hair to soak up oil from the gulf coast oil spill?
A natural fiber recycling organization called Matter of Trust, that’s who!
The New Dynamics of this networked world of our does present opportunities that were never available before.
Hair to the rescue.
“Crazy ideas” aren’t so crazy anymore.
April 29, 2010Post about owning problems tells Jets coach how to manage player via twitter
David Schlossberg suggested an interesting response to a twitter post from a player who complained about not getting to play enough. The post is titled Owning your problems.
“One last example. A Jets player twittered about his lack of play time. The coach responded by benching the player for a week. Problem solved.
If I was the coach, how would I own this problem? I would have twittered back:
@davidclowney work harder and you’ll get more play time. Now put your phone down and get back to practice.
That’s owning your problem, and with 34 characters to spare.”
I confess – I rather like it.
