It’s easy to work together better when things are going well, but inevitably there will be conflicts, confusion and miscommunication that need to be addressed. The words we choose can make or break the way we work—especially when things are not going as planned. What does that look like in real life? Communicate with Candor—And Kindness We work together better…
You’ve probably heard the expression “There is no “I” in Team.” That refers to the fact that the word TEAM does not have an I in it, but more to the point, it stresses that we can work together better when we focus on we, the team, rather than just focusing on what I want. As a twist on that…
“We already tried that.” “That won’t work.” “That will never happen here.” Nothing will ever work according to these common comments made by the Naysayer. Or how about Sarcasm, the Naysayer’s witty cousin, who says: “Yeah right.” “Dream on.” “Good luck with that.” These roles and similar ones can hinder a group’s process by diverting the attention away from achieving…
“Please and Thank you, they’re called the magic words. If you want nice things to happen, they’re the words that should be heard.” These are lyrics from a song sung by Barney the Dinosaur and his sidekick kids in a children’s show my daughter and I watched faithfully when she was growing up. And, I think there’s a lesson in…
How to Respond When Someone Asks Your Opinion and You Have Nothing Nice to Say Have you ever been cornered by a colleague and asked a potentially incriminating question: “What do you think about the new boss?” or, “What do you think about the co-workers new hair cut?” or “What do you think about the CEO’s new (controversial) policy?” The…
In my communication keynotes and workshops, I frequently share this popular quote: Speak so that others love listening to you. Listen so that others love speaking to you. What I love sharing, even more, is HOW you go about doing that. How do you get a positive reaction from others when you speak…and when you listen? I sometimes share jokingly—truth…