Posts Tagged ‘Leadership’

When people are physically uncomfortable, they generally have difficulty focusing on the work at hand, and they tend to become emotionally sensitive and irritable. Both of these conditions contribute to reduced productivity and higher levels of workplace conflict.

Here are three of the most common issues I see as I work with my clients:

1. Space Constraints

This constraint can take many forms, but it always adds some level of stress to the work environment. The constraints might be caused by file cabinets, equipment, physical limitations of the building, or just other people in the workplace.

Many business leaders do not have the spending authority necessary to build a bigger facility. Even if they do, the business income may not support the desire to add space. While you may not have the ability to increase the physical space, you can be sensitive to the issue and take whatever action is in your control.

For example, you might be able to:

• Give people more short breaks so that they can “stretch their legs” for a moment.
• Find ways to reduce or eliminate extra “stuff” that takes up space unnecessarily.
• Add mirrors or change the color so that the space “feels” bigger to people.

2. Resource Constraints 

In an ideal world, we could give our team everything they need to do the job, and they would completely understand when we cannot. They would also have a team-oriented mindset that would stop them from bickering with each other when they find themselves competing for limited resources.

Maybe you work in the ideal place. I have not seen it happen very often. In virtually every business where I have worked, some level of stress and conflict happens as the result of people competing for resources. The resource could be tools, the coffee pot, the copier, the department administrative assistant, or your time. Whatever resource is limited, it will generate tension between people and their environment. This tension creates emotional pressure that might relieve in unhealthy and unproductive ways.

Again, you might not have complete authority or sufficient budget to fix the problem entirely. You can acknowledge the problem and do what you can to mitigate it.

For example, you could:

• Help people develop better communication skills so that they can discuss the resource limitations without judging, blaming, and labeling each other.
• Work with people to develop an agreed upon schedule for resource use.
• Acknowledge the problem and make it safe to discuss.

3. Room Temperature 

This is a big one. I have seen some major workplace conflicts break out over room temperature. I have also heard leaders discuss how childish and immature this conflict can become. I acknowledge that the bickering created by stress over room temperature can look pretty silly to an outside observer. I also realize that the discomfort is very real for the people involved, and that physical discomfort creates emotional pressure that must be acknowledged and, as much as possible, relieved.

Again, completely fixing this problem or finding a compromise solution may be beyond your control. Here’s what you can do:

• Recognize that physical discomfort is a real source of frustration and emotional pressure.
• Make it safe to discuss by putting the issue in the open without judging, condemning, or criticizing the people involved.
• Work to resolve each person’s interest in being comfortable at work. Discuss the actions each person (including you) will take to find a solution that is as workable as possible for everyone involved.

If you can spend the money to remove these stressors, I encourage you to do so. In many cases, you cannot pursue that option. If you do not have the budget or the authority to truly fix the environmental issue, you can take action to provide safe, productive outlets for the emotional pressure that can build when these issues remain unresolved for a long period of time.

The first step to providing a safe, productive outlet lies with the leader recognizing and acknowledging the reality of the frustration without minimizing or criticizing it. You cannot fix the problem just by talking about it, but you can help to relieve the pressure so that it doesn’t “blowout” somewhere else.

Redirected to www.BusinessRelationshipRx.com.

     Do you know anyone who consistently encourages other people? If you do, do you find it difficult to get angry with them? I know someone like that. He is a man in my church. He has been in the community for many years, and everyone I know loves him. It seems that everyone has only good things to say about him. Even when he does something frustrating, it’s almost impossible to get angry with him. A few days ago, my two daughters were discussing some events at our church. In the course of  the conversation, this gentleman’s name came up, and my oldest daughter said: “He’s so nice. It’s impossible to not like him.”    

     Today, I was looking through the finalists for Kevin Eikenberry’s Best Leadership Blog’s  contest. While perusing the blogs, I found Steve Farber’s post on helping someone else be Greater Than Yourself (GTY). In Steve’s post, he commented on this type of behavior in light of great leadership. I agree with him that people who lift other’s up tend to develop greater influence, and therefore leadership, with others.    

     In the context of conflict resolution, how much relational “capital” would you have with others if you made it a point to look for ways to encourage and lift them up before you had a conflict. How would your past behaviors help you to resolve a current conflict more quickly and productively? I think you would be much further ahead if you had that reputation.  On the extreme opposite side of the issue, I think most of us would agree that discouraging others would put you ”in the hole” with them? That concept is pretty easy to see.    

     What if your behaviors were not that extreme? What if you did not actually discourage people? What if you just failed to consistently encourage them? You would definitely miss the benefit of the other person feeling about you the way my daughters feel about the encourager in our church. You would certainly miss the benefit of the doubt when the inevitable conflict arose in your relationship. You might even start just a little “in the hole.” 

     These thoughts have challenged me today. I think I’ll go look for some opportunities to encourage people. I hope you will do the same.

     Guy Harris, The Recovering Engineer

     Another article I wrote on a related topic: Choose to Become an Encourager
     Photo from http://www.sxc.hu/ 

Redirected to its new location at www.BusinessRelationshipRx.com.

I just read this on Kevin’s blog. This is a fantastic idea for building better relationships.Kevin’s Blog Entry – U-Pick

     He was born in 1917. As the oldest son of a west Texas farmer, he became the man of the family at 17 when his father died. He raised his younger sister, took care of his mother, and married his sweetheart from east Texas.

     He worked a dairy farm. He worked construction. He worked with sheet metal. He worked with his hands until he became a sales engineer in the early days of commercial air conditioning in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

     Along the way, he cared for his family, loved his wife, and disciplined his three sons. He set an example of ethical behavior, honest speech, and unswerving integrity. His second son followed his example of hard work and honesty.

     The second son worked as a house painter. He worked with his hands until he graduated from college and began to teach. He moved from teaching to writing for newspapers to writing for utility companies. Like his father before him, he stood for honesty and integrity.

     He also cared for his family, loved his wife, and disciplined his children. He too set a great example.

     Two generations of leaders in their communities, their businesses, and their families. They set an example and they mentored others to become leaders as well. They set the example for me of what it means to be a leader, a husband, a father…a man.

     They are my grandfather and my father.

     My grandfather died in January of 2004. He was a great man all the way to the end. He never stopped taking care of my grandmother, and he never stopped setting a good example. My father now lives in Florida with my Mom. He still takes care of her, and he still sets a great example.

     I have learned about integrity, honesty, and character from many sources at this point in my life. None of them has been as important as my grandfather and my father. As Father’s day passes this year, I am reminded of the legacy of leadership they left for me. I hope and pray that, I too, will leave a similar legacy for my two daughters and their children.

     Here’s a great book I read in the last few weeks. Courage: The Backbone of Leadership by Gus Lee.

     This is a great book about what it means to have courage in challenging situations (like confronting a conflict). In this book, Gus Lee gives a great model for what he calls “courageous communication” for addressing what can be delicate issues with both courage and tact.

     I recommend this book highly.

     Guy Harris, The Recovering Engineer