Conflict at work is inevitable. You are, after all, working with people. In today’s culturally diverse, multigenerational workforce, it’s bound to happen. According to the Center for Management and Organization Effectiveness, a CPP study found that 85% of individuals and leaders agreed they experienced some amount of inevitable conflict at work. And 29% of all … Read more
There is about a 100 percent possibility that in the course of your day you will be communicating with someone from a different country who has had a different cultural upbringing and who speaks a different first language than you do. As one of my coaching clients explained, “I was with team members on a … Read more
With all the communication tools available to us, there is still massive mutual mystification when it comes to clearly understanding each other. Many factors contribute to that, including the languages people speak in our diverse workforce. A US Census report on findings from 2009-2013 found that sixty million Americans speak languages other than English at … Read more
Just as you owe it to people to praise them, you owe it to them to offer constructive feedback. When you have individuals directly assigned to you, it is essential to be a teacher, mentor, positive critic, and advocate for their personal and career growth. You can’t do this if you aren’t giving constructive feedback. … Read more
The following is a brief excerpt from my new book, An Introvert’s Guide to Networking, available from Amazon and wherever books are sold. You Have a Lot to Offer You have a lot to offer, and it probably isn’t your style to toot your own horn. On the other hand, if people don’t know anything … Read more
Do you ever wonder if too much communication is happening? There are so many ways to communicate in person and online and there’s so much information coming at you 24/7 that it’s fair to ask: Can you overcommunicate? Short answer? No. No, you can never overcommunicate. It’s similar to the daft expression people like to … Read more
Love them or hate them, virtual meetings are part of today’s work landscape. With so many people working from home, they’re crucial to maintaining morale and teamwork. According to Gigaom, 87% of remote team members feel more connected to their team when they can use video conferencing. However, as is true of any conference, you … Read more
Networking rarely makes its way onto a to-do list. You don’t reap immediate, tangible rewards when interacting with people so it’s easy to delay the hard work of connecting with people in your company and industry. The discomfort of meeting strangers may not seem worth the effort it takes to learn how to network effectively. … Read more
If you aren’t dealing with bully coworkers currently, you probably will be very soon. Four out of five of us will experience one or more coworkers who bully or backstab (or at least attempt it). In all walks of life, there are people who pull time away in political maneuvering, grabbing resources, and creating distractions. … Read more
Solve More Problems Sooner and Better Than Other People Do You are in your job for one reason: to solve problems, which often means people problems. Business life is made of problems—and thank goodness for that! Interpersonal workplace conflicts truly are opportunities. They’re the vehicles for learning, growing, and proving yourself on the job. The … Read more