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A Nurse’s Courageous Approach to Workplace Conflict
My brother-in-law is a nurse anesthetist. He told me recently how frustrated he gets when colleagues talk about one another instead of talking to one another. This is a man who isn’t afraid to speak up and “rock the boat” if needed. So, what did he do? Instead of fuming to another colleague or complaining to a superior, he…
Creating Meaning Out of Adversity
Last March, life as we knew it came to a halt. Nearly every person on the earth was faced with a scary, invisible threat that we knew little about. At the time, we couldn’t imagine how devastating the COVID-19 pandemic would be to human life, our economy, the healthcare system, and our ability to be…
The 3 Best Ways to Navigate Change (and Uncertainty) Successfully
Uncertainty has become the new norm. Since mid-March, in order to keep people safe from the coronavirus, we were faced with almost daily changes that have impacted the way we work, interact, and socialize. Three months later, there’s an added dimension of uncertainty with nationwide riots that contributes to people feeling on edge. On many…
Leading with Stability and Hope During Crisis
Dealing with uncertainty creates anxiety for most people. It’s especially difficult when facing a pandemic. Most likely, you are facing tough decisions that impact your company’s bottom line, employee paychecks, and the health of your employees and customers. What your employees need most is for you to lead with a non-anxious presence. A presence of staying calm, not…
Are You a Fixer? How to Know When Helping is Hurting
Are you a “Fixer”? By age 11, Maria was writing checks to pay the family bills, by age 14, she started her first job, and by age 19, she owned her first home. Due to the unpredictability in her upbringing from her father’s alcoholism and her mother’s mental illness, Maria said “I’ve been an overachiever,…
How One Couple Successfully Ran A Business
Family-owned businesses often struggle because sometimes personal conflict spills over into the family business. The result is a work culture with unresolved family issues that impacts how the company runs, its overall productivity, and ultimately its bottom-line results. It’s been no different for married couple, Angelo and Lauren, who are third-generation family business owners and…
3 Strategies for Standing Up to the Office Bully
“He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.” ~ Lao-tzu Most people either endure working with a bully or leave their job, even if they love what they do. After all, it’s risky to stand up to a bully due to the possibility of retaliation and the…
During Conflict, Do you Give Away Your Power?
Jeremiah could feel the stress building. For months I’d been listening to my boss’s ranting about some production issue that hadn’t gone as planned. I felt responsible as a leader and was genuinely trying to do a good job. I wanted to defend myself and explain my attempt to solve the problem. Suddenly, I realized…
3 Ways to Stop Your Employee’s Bad Behavior
You’re in your office. An employee has come to you to complain about a co-worker. This person tells you the same problematic behaviors he/she has told you before about the other employee. You wonder how much time and energy is being spent on this ongoing conflict that could be spent doing productive work. You’ve tried…
5 Signs You Are A Controller …
This blog is the second of a multi-blog series addressing how events during family upbringing affect your conflict pattern and business relationships. 5 Signs You Are A Controller … 1. My way or the highway You have a vision of how things should be done and if things deviant from your…