Effectively Address, Manage and Resolve Conflicts

Conflict resolution IS NOT conflict avoidance.  Differences of opinion are great,  we shouldn’t avoid them.  However, we do need to manage them so they don’t lead to discord or dispute.  When the issue at hand is important to you, you will naturally want to compete. You want to win. You want to be right.  When the relationship is important to you, you will tend to accommodate, that is, give in to the other party, forgoing what you want.  If the issue and the relationship are important, you will need to collaborate and compromise. 

Here’s a simple real-life example.   Your spouse wants Mexican food for dinner and you want Chinese.  You accommodate because the relationship with your spouse is important and the issue of what to have for dinner is not important.  So you’re having Mexican for dinner… again.

Conversely,  your spouse wants to move to Canada for a new job.  The marital relationship is, of course, important.  But this time, the issue is very important, as well.  In this case you will collaborate and compromise.  There is a discussion that needs to take place in which both parties express their interests, needs, feelings, and fears. 

Like an iceberg, sometimes the largest portion of the problem is beneath the surface.  We have to go below “see” level to get at the real issue.  This takes some root cause analysis and fact finding.   For example:  John come to you and says  “I can’t work with Alice any more.  She is rude and disrespectful.”    As you probe you might find that Alice rejected and belittled a few of John ideas.  That resulted in John believing that Alice is rude and disrespectful.  You could find out the history behind the issue – other instances or occurrences between them that might be adding fuel to this fire.   As mentioned earlier, both parties have interests, needs, feelings, fears, and frustrations.  It’s clear that this issue is important.  John may need help seeing that his relationship with Alice is also important – he will have to work with Alice continually and count on her for various aspects of his assignments.  As you help John prepare to confront this issue with Alice, ask him to describe his side of the situation.  THEN, ask him to think about Alice’s interests, needs, feelings, fears, and frustrations  John will need to pursue a frank discussion with Alice, being honest about what he sees as the issues.   He will need to attack the issue but NOT Alice.  His confrontation can’t include begrudging or disparaging remarks about her behavior, character, or ethics.  He must be upfront about his intention to resolve the issue and reach a mutually agreeable solution.  Then John and Alice will frankly discuss their interests, needs, feelings, fears, and frustrations. 

This is an opportunity to collaborate and compromise.  Unless both parties give, both parties can not win.   

Building The Brand Called YOU.

You have a LinkedIn page, right? Perhaps you’ve signed up for Twitter and one of your colleagues invited you to join Flickr or another business social network like Ryze. More and more online business networking opportunities are sprouting up every day. You may have even designed a personal Web page or started a blog.   That’s a good start, but constant web communications is only the beginning of establishing, building and spreading your own personal brand. 

What is a personal brand? 

When it’s an organization’s brand, it is the emotional connection, believes and qualities associated with the organization’s name.  When it comes to individuals, it’s the emotional connection, believes, and qualities associated with the person.  When you hear the name Coca-Cola what do you think and feel --  Thirst?  Happiness? Fond childhood memories?   What do people think and/or feel when they hear your name?  What do you want them to think or feel and how can you influence that?

Be Memorable.

Marketing executives know that building sales leads and enhancing one’s company brand are paramount to company success. Top executives, the ones who are consistently emulated, quoted, and asked to partner with other executives, do one thing well. They promote themselves and their expert opinions.

Creating an online profile in a number of is definitely important, but if you ignore your real-world presence, you’re selling yourself short. Busy business people pour through hundreds of e-mails and view scores of web pages each day. Your digital footprint might get passed up. BUT, meaningful, memorable interactions will stick with them.

Be a Thought Leader.

You can generate this sort of interaction and attention in a number of ways. However, the three ways that have the biggest impact and are often a catalyst for more opportunities are:

1.             Participating in industry trade groups and associations

2.             Speaking at prominent industry events

3.             Writing well-crafted, by-lined articles in trade publications

Trade/Industry organizations could be your entrance to bigger and better things. Everything is cyclical – a trade article could lead to being selected for a speaking engagement, which leads to being quoted in a news article, which leads to a panel opportunity, which leads to being interviewed on television as an industry expert. Keep the cycle moving by continuing to move within it.  You certainly don’t have to attend every conference or event.  But you do need to get involved, be involved, and remain involved. 

Make it Matter.

When you meet new contacts, have the kinds of conversations that will make people remember you. . Be genuine. Be thoughtful. Contact them to give them something, not just ask for something – namely their business.  And, I’m not talking about bringing them coffee and donuts.  I’m talking about sharing poignant, relevant information, ideas, and strategies they can use to better their business.  Find ways to help clients and potential clients, and they will find ways to help you.

Lastly, networking is not about collecting as many business cards as you can. It’s about quality over quantity.  Make the time you spend at those networking events really count.  Whether you are a car washer or an orthopedic surgeon, you are a solutions provider.  Find those 1 or 2 individuals at the networking mixer who have problems you can solve, who need help you can provide.  After you have engaged in conversation with someone, they should be requesting your business card, rather than you offering it. 

WINNING AT WHAT’S IMPORTANT

WINNING AT WHAT’S IMPORTANT

Every week, I work with clients to help them achieve results.  We work on crafting the right strategies, identifying a targeted vision, and executing successful action plans.   In order to equip them to accomplish these tasks, I share with them the principles I’ve learned from years and study and partnership with Covey, Canfield and Ramsey.  What I share with them, I’ll share with you:

Visualize the result you want. 

See it in your mind’s eye every morning.  See the master’s degree you want to earn hanging on the wall in your office.  See your business growing from 10 employees to 25.  See yourself on your dream vacation in the Greek Isles.  See yourself 30 pounds thinner and wearing your skinny jeans.  That vision is an ever-present reminder of where you want to go.  It can help you stay focused on why you work so hard, stay up late studying, or deprive yourself of certain foods.  You are relentlessly pursuing a target. 

Stay Motivated and Accountable.

It’s not always easy to stay focused.  When you feel like giving up turn to those things, people, or memories that motivate you.  For me, my mind is cluttered when my environment is cluttered.  When I’m loosing focus, I tidy up my office.   I’m also motivated by a change in scenery.  I get my best ideas when I’m on vacation.  In fact, research shows that typically our best ideas come while we’re in the shower, running on the treadmill, or working in the garden.  When we remove ourselves from the work environment, our creativity is stimulated. 

Share your goals with someone who supports you and/or someone who has already arrived where you are trying to go.  Talk to them weekly.  Tell them the top three things you will do each week toward that goal.  Allow them to hold you accountable. 

Be patient. 

You will not get to the end of the journey right from the beginning.  You have to take the journey step by step.  It will take time.  Some goals take longer than others to reach.  You should also set smaller, incremental goals and accomplishing them one at a time.  For example, if you’re goal is to earn an MBA, you might start with an objective like this:  Complete statistic class with a grade of B or above by the end of the year.   Take the steps, do the work and the results will come. 

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Talent Challenges: It’s a War for the Best.

A recent U.S. survey shows that 41% of companies named “competing for talent” as one of their top challenge in 2011. 

Conversely, 49% of employees say they intend to look for a new job when the economy gets better. 

Employers must expertly manage their talent life cycle.  That means they must consider succession, reward, global mobility, learning and development, orientation, workforce planning, recruitment, performance management and leadership.  We’ll take a closer look at a few of these key areas.

RECRUITMENT

When the most successful companies recruit, they consider current and pending corporate strategies in their hiring decisions.  They examine the tasks associated with deployment of each strategy.  This helps them determine what competencies are necessary for successful deployment of those strategies.  Then, they hire accordingly – select candidate that possess those critical competencies.

SUCCESSION PLANNING

Companies that are winning to talent war also examine the gaps between readiness and promotability.   They ask themselves these key questions:

1. Do you have the talent we need in house or will you have to ‘buy’ it. 

2. If you have the talent already in the organization, how do you develop and nurture them to be promotion-ready.

DIVERSITY

Hispanics will be the majority ethnic group in U.S. by 2015.  Companies that are determined to recruit the best talent available are focusing on recruiting within this demographic.  Equally important, these companies are focused on gaining market share amongst the Hispanic population.  Consumers buy from companies that value and respect them.  When the companies’ landscape reflects the national landscape, consumers are more likely to buy that companies goods and services. 

Women are graduating from high school 69% more often than boys.  For the first time ever, women also have higher math, reading and science scores on average, across the U.S. and the world.  Companies that recruit the best are masters at attracting and retaining this demographic. 

Who are these best-in-class companies? 

Best Buy, Starbucks, AT&T, and Google are consistently attracting, retaining, and motivating top talent. 

Laws - They Are A-Changing

During a recent conversation with a legal beagle, I discovered some interesting facts that will impact employers, HR professionals, my clients, and employees as well.  I call them the 4 Rules of Understanding ADA.

Here they are:

1.  According to the law, we are ALL disabled (with very few exceptions) because of all of the bodily functions covered under the Act,  and how impairment is defined.

2. When an employee claims they have a disability, employers must engage in an interactive process.  That means talk to the employee to find out what they need to accommodate them.  The employer must not assume that all cases are the same or every employee will need the same solution for a similar impairment.

3.  Employers are expected to make reasonable accommodation for the disabled employee so that employee can perform his/her responsibility on the job.  If the employers does not accommodate it must be because a. it was cost prohibitive and/or  b. doing so would cause harm to the employee or others.

4.  Temporary and intermittent condition that create an physical or emotional impairment are considered disabilities.  Even conditions, such as migraines and high blood pressure, that are controlled/managed by treatment/medication, can still be a disability if it impairs the employee physically or emotionally.  This might also include pregnancy, allergies, depression and numerous others.

What this means for employers:  Know the law.  Be prepared and willing to accommodate. 

What this means for employees:  Know your rights.  If you feel you have an impairment that affects your ability to perform a major life function, be prepared to engage in a healthy two-way discussion with your employer, if you need an accommodation of some sort.

A Loyal Generation - Dedicated to their jobs while committed to their lifestyles

Taking off the Boundaries

27-year-old recruiter, Matt Powers, declared to his managers at a staffing company that he wanted to take the summer off.   Powers had been with the company less than a year, but he explained to his managers the he had taken every summer off since he graduated from college five years earlier.  His bosses scoffed at him and told him there was no way that would happen.  They told him that he could quit his job and then re-apply for a job when the summer was over.  Being re-hired would not be automatic or assumed.  They further stated that this would set a dangerous precedent amongst his colleagues.  What would happen if everyone wanted to take the summer off?, they wondered.  How would be business survive and who would do the work?, they questioned.  The managers at that staffing company did not understand the needs and expectations of Powers’ generation.  Work-Life balance is a critical issue. Had Powers worked for Austin Texas-based software company, HotSchedules, he would have had no problem convincing his higher-ups to give him the summer off.  In fact, HotSchedule offers unlimited paid vacation to it’s full-time employees.  That’s right: unlimited paid vacation.  The software company is focused on creating an environment where people want to come to work, have fun at work, and feel appreciated. 

Who They Are

There are roughly 50 million people between the ages of 18 and 30.  They are known as Generation Y, or millennials.  It is believed that Generation Y cannot be expected to stay with the same company for their entire careers as many other generations have.  But, in my own non-scientific research, I’ve found that is not entirely true.  I spoke to 15 Gen Y-ers across the state, all working Fortune 500 organizations.  12 of 15 told me a different story than many psychologists and career strategiests.  These Milliennials say that if they work in a fun, engaging environment where their needs are being recognized and met, they could see themselves staying there until they retire. 

They have a common upbringing, as well.  They watched their parents work hard, show great loyalty to organizations, and have very little time for family.  In return, their parents either got laid off, were forced into early retirement, or left their organizations after 30 years to collect their minimal pensions.  The Gen Y group I questioned does not want the same life their parents had.

With these lofty expectations, why would anyone want to hire the millennials (Gen Y)? 

Here are some great contributions they can make:

They want to make a difference and leave a legacy.  This mean hard work, dedication, and determination. 

They are going beyond the status quo, which translates to new ideas, innovation, and creativity. 

They speak up when they see something that can be improved.  They are not ‘yes men and women’.  I think this means they can move organizations from good to great.

They are the leaders organizations should be grooming.

Research shows that this generation is on course to become the most educated group our world has every known, and the largest group as well; even bigger than their parents, the Boomers.  The statistics show that within a decade they will make up more than 30 % of the workforce.  We as business owners and leaders need to prepare to hire and engage them, if we are not doing so already.  If you can capture and keep their attention, they can be wonderfully productive employees and great assets. 

Values that drive successful businesses

I’ve been traveling all over the Americas coaching and training leaders and future leaders in organizations.  I’ve worked with teams and individuals in government, private business, non-profits, fortune 500 companies, and faith-based organizations.   In the past 15 years, leaders have shared with me these common foundational values that drive successful business. 

Transparency - create simple easy to understand strategies, processes and communications.  Make the purpose and importance for all of them clear.

Warning:  Don’t assume people already know your intentions.  Tell them. 

Continual Learning – encourage the sharing of ideas.  DURING the sharing of idea, receive them without judgment.  Look for opportunities to improve.  Share lessons.  Teach others what you know.  If you are a leader, delegate.  Give people access to external and internal learning opportunities as well.

Warning:  Don’t limit learning opportunities only to a favorite few performers.  Share the wealth.  How else with the good get to great and the mediocre get better?

Fiscal Responsibility – look for ways to achieve maximum results with minimum resources.  Seek the highest quality parts, materials, and supplies you can get with the most economical expenditure.    Use time, energy, and talents in a way that reduces/eliminates waste.

Warning:  Don’t be cheap; be frugal. Get the most value for your dollar without sacrificing quality.

Be Competitive – know the competition.  Know what they are doing – good and bad.  Benchmark against the best.  When you have successes, celebrate them, acknowledge results and recognize accomplishments.  Then set new goals and reach for higher (realistic but challenging) heights. 

Warning:  Don’t compare yourself against the average.  Sometimes businesspeople look at mediocre competitors and say,  “at least we’re better than them”.  You don’t want to be better than the average.  Strive to be as good as the best.