Blog
How to Deal with an Abrasive Co-Worker or Boss
Do you know how to deal with an abrasive co-worker or boss? Are you sensing pushback when you try to connect with colleagues or bosses who are edgy, irritable, and short-tempered? Are you feeling a sense of pushback when you try to connect with colleagues or bosses who don’t know...
How to Stay Non-Reactive and Set Healthy Boundaries in 5 Words or Less
Learning to stay non-reactive in leadership is often like parenting when it’s necessary to draw lines and the lines aren’t always clear. Sometimes it can seem like steering on ice. Just like a parent, it takes discernment to know when to: Draw a firm, tight line and...
Are your dysfunctional family conflict patterns affecting your leadership conflict patterns?
Great, it’s happened again. An abrasive leader has exploded on one your team members yet again. The team member is embarrassed, afraid to contribute when the leader is around, and becoming disengaged from the organization. The last time this happened you swore to yourself that you’d address it the next...
Real-life examples of leaders who transformed their conflict style for the better
When was the last time that something you had waited a long time for FINALLY happened? On November 10, 2022 we finally celebrated - in-person – the leaders who contributed to my book How Did My Family Get In My Office?! The book was published 2 years ago in November,...
Does your Staff Meeting Remind you of a Tense Holiday Meal?
Imagine you have a high-performing team member, let’s call him Rob. He’s worked for your organization for years and knows your business inside out. While Rob is one of your most valued employees from a performance perspective, he has some rough edges in how he treats people. When projects don’t...
3 Reasons Executive Leaders Avoid Addressing Abrasive Behavior and Why
Barb is a go-getter and a “make-things-happen” kind of leader. She is determined to be efficient and get things done in order to move on to the next project. She has high expectations for herself and for those who work for her. As a result, she has received several promotions...
An Uncommon Yet Effective Approach to Address Abrasive Behavior
Casey is preparing for a conversation he’d rather avoid. He’s about to meet with one of his top-performing managers who is a consistent high revenue generator for the company. The manager has been with the company for almost fifteen years and is widely respected for her expertise in their industry. ...
7 Ways to Keep Your Best Thinking During Conflict
Any relationship, including work relationships, involves disagreements and conflict. In fact, healthy leaders encourage disagreements so that the best ideas can emerge. The key is working through tension with productive, effective behaviors rather than destructive, ineffective behaviors. When conflict is productive, the real issue gets addressed and conversations move forward...
5 Signs Controlling Leadership May Be Contributing to Your Employee Turnover
“It’s very dramatic when two people come together to work something out. It’s easy to take a gun and annihilate your opposition, but what is really exciting to me is to see people with differing views come together and finally respect each other.” – Fred Rogers The World According to...
5 Remarks Leaders Often Make to Avoid Conflict and Eventually Blow-Up in Anger
“Feelings are mentionable and manageable” – Mister Fred Rogers In his television show of 895 episodes that ran from 1968 – 2001, Mr. Rogers taught kids about a variety of life skills such as self-value, self-control, curiosity, appreciation of diversity, cooperation, patience, and perseverance. Through meaningful lyrics, scripts, and puppetry, Mr....