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Entries for the 'Confrontation for Those Who Don’t Like Confrontation' Category

Listen In -> Confrontation for Those Who Don’t Like Confrontation #5: Clearing Up Misunderstandings

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010

There’s a story of an elderly couple who were sitting outside on their front porch listening to the sounds of the countryside one evening.

The gentleman was listening to the crickets in the field behind the house. The woman was listening to the choir in the church down the lane.

At one point the woman exclaimed to her husband, “Isn’t that beautiful?!”

“Ah yes,” he replied. “And I understand they do it by rubbing their legs together.”

Misunderstandings happen.

In this week’s show, Claudia and I discuss the common reality of miscommunicating, misinterpreting, and other ways we get our wires crossed.

How often do we find ourselves getting all worked up over some perceived slight only to find out later that the other person was merely distracted by something completely unrelated?

How often do we find ourselves jumping to conclusions about a slipping project schedule only to discover that we didn’t know the parties involved had agreed to rearrange the order of events and everything was right on track?

Misunderstandings happen. The question is, are we alert enough and responsive enough to confront them (i.e. talk calmly about) early on before they have a chance to spiral out of control?

Listen in.

Just now joining the conversation? Catch up on the entire series here.

Listen In -> Confrontation for Those Who Don’t Like Confrontation #4: Not Pulling One’s Weight

Wednesday, September 15th, 2010

It happens all the time. People go on vacation, get sick, have personal emergencies, and experience the occasional “bad day.”

We are not always able “pull our weight,” so to speak.

When life happens and someone on the team cannot pull their weight we are usually more than willing to pitch in and fill the gap. And that’s a good thing.

BUT…

And it’s a big but!

When someone consistently and chronically does not do their job, our willingness to fill the gap should drop like a lead balloon.

We are not helping anymore when we participate with an under-performer in preventing there being any consequences to their inadequate contribution. Our filling the gap that was a good thing for the team on an occasional basis becomes a bad thing when it becomes a pattern.

They are simply not doing the job they agreed to do. And we are no longer giving our all to the job we agreed to do.

In this week’s show, Claudia and I discuss how to talk calmly about (i.e. confront) someone not pulling their weight.

Listen in.

Just now joining the conversation? Catch up on the entire series here.

Listen In -> Confrontation for Those Who Don’t Like Confrontation #3: Unacceptable Work

Wednesday, September 8th, 2010

Let’s face it, even on the best of teams there are times when someone’s work is unacceptable.

It’s going to happen. It’s a workplace reality. All the training in the world cannot eliminate these instances of below-standard quality, timeliness, accuracy, thoroughness or judgment.

In this week’s conversation, Claudia and I discuss how to talk calmly about (i.e. confront) unacceptable work.

We don’t have to act like parents scolding a wayward child. We don’t have to act like betrayed slavemasters punishing those beneath us. We don’t have to act like apologetic nursemaids afraid to create a new problem where we are trying to fix a current one.

When the normal and the ordinary happen, like unacceptable work, then a straightforward and work-focused conversation needs to take place.

Listen in.

Just now joining the conversation? Catch up on the entire series here.

Listen In -> Confrontation for Those Who Don’t Like Confrontation #2: Inappropriate Behavior

Wednesday, 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.

Just now joining the conversation? Catch up on the entire series here.

Listen In -> Confrontation for Those Who Don’t Like Confrontation #1: Making Confrontation Normal

Wednesday, 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.