The Working Cultures Blog
September 1st, 2010
Awkward.
Offensive.
Destructive.
Some people seem to live as if they’re the only ones on the planet.
They are oblivious or insensitive to how their behavior affects others.
How then do we communicate that their actions or words hurt, offend or harm us?
Suffice to say that waiting until you blow up in an explosion of rage is not very effective.
What is appropriate when confronting the inappropriate?
This week Claudia discuss confronting inappropriate behavior in the workplace.
Listen in.
August 30th, 2010
Whose day would be transformed if you paused in your busy schedule and expressed interest in their work?
August 28th, 2010
“He is the best sailor who can steer within fewest points of the wind, and exact a motive power out of the greatest obstacles.”
Henry David Thoreau
August 27th, 2010
“What possible good can result from venturing into the unknown?”
Margaret Benefiel thus thrusts us into the crux of the leader’s conundrum. We do not all traverse paths paved and mapped by others. Increasingly in today’s ever-changing world, we find ourselves in new territory, exploring not yet imagined possibilities.
If knowing or controlling the outcome is a prerequisite for leadership, then we are trapped before even beginning. How does anything new ever break in? If the end has to be determined and proven before we begin, there is no means for experimenting with the new, strange or different.
Benefiel’s bold assertion is that the heart can be trusted as a leader’s compass in charting strange territory, discerning the need for change, and trying entirely new approaches.
Anyone reading here probably already believes that leadership is not a mechanical catalogue of techniques that one masters and implements with precise and reliable effect.
What if leadership derives its very nature, form and power from the particular individual who enacts it? What if leadership were an embodied dynamic?
Suddenly the importance of what sort of person this leader is becomes significant. The quality of one’s character limits or enhances one’s capacity
Read the rest of this entry »
August 25th, 2010
Granted confrontation will probably never be anyone’s favorite task.
What, though, if confrontation were a mere ordinary, matter-of-fact, and mundane task? Just another workplace reality whenever diverse people and complex systems overlap. Ho hum.
Could fear and anger be making confrontation more difficult and dangerous than it really need be?
Join Claudia and I as we begin a new discussion series entitled, Confrontation for Those Who Don’t Like Confrontation.
Maybe we simply need to change our vocabulary. Instead of “confrontation” we could call it, “talking about difficult issues,” “informing others of your boundaries,” or “clearing up misunderstandings.”
Problems are to be expected in the workplace. Confrontation should be a normal and dispassionate form of communication that takes place more often than not. Confrontation should be a helpful and constructive activity not a scary or dangerous one. Confrontation should help us work through our problems earlier and more effectively rather than letting them fester and compound.
Confrontation for Those Who Don’t Like Confrontation
Week #1: Making Confrontation Normal
Week #2: Confronting Inappropriate Behavior
Week #3: Confronting Unacceptable Work
Week #4: Confronting Not Pulling One’s Weight
Week #5: Confronting Misunderstandings
How do you feel about confrontation?
Listen in.
August 24th, 2010
“Self-distrust is the cause of most of our failures. They are the weakest, however strong, who have no faith in themselves or their own powers.”
Christian Bovee
August 23rd, 2010
Which is more work: giving yourself fully to the task at hand or holding back?
It’s a open question. It’s also a loaded question.
My suspicion is that holding back takes more effort than working hard.
Holding back requires constant reflection. “How much is just enough?” “Am I putting in more than I’m being paid for?” “Is anyone watching?” “What time is it now?”
Giving your all requires no extra effort and involves no mind games. You simply go for it.
You’re free and focused to a degree unavailable to the person holding back.
Think about your own approach to work and working hard. Which days go by the quickest? On which days do you experience the greatest sense of achievement?
Why begrudge going the proverbial “extra mile” with someone when I imagine we’d have already gone the extra mile and come back by the time we sweated through whether we were being taken advantage of or exceeded the requirements of our job description or won’t be appropriately appreciated.
You can hold back if you choose. It may be appropriate. It may be fair. It may be justified. But it will certainly be a lot more work.
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