Tag: conflict
What Would It Mean to Be an Activist at Work?
Sometimes things happen at work that seem just plain wrong. Most of us stand by, hoping conditions will get better. But all too often, they don’t, and we continue waiting, meanwhile becoming more and more... Continue reading
How to Focus on Tasks, Not Emotions, to Save Money on Conflict
“Conflict costs businesses a ton of money,” management guru Steve Caldwell observed while interviewing me recently. Caldwell is a team leadership coach, the author of Manager Mojo: Be the Leader that Others Want to Follow,... Continue reading
This Is Why Being an Employee Is Not Like Being a Navy SEAL
An up-and-coming manager at one of my client companies asked for help with a longstanding employee. Over time, his behavior had become problematic for other employees — and sometimes for customers as well. In addition... Continue reading
In HBR: How to Work with a Manipulative Person
This article originally appeared on hbr.org. Almost everyone who’s ever gone to work has had to deal with an office manipulator. Unfortunately, most employees hesitate to go public with their concerns. And with good reason:... Continue reading
4 Ways to Ease the Pain of Interdepartmental Conflict
When departments operate in silos -- say operations wants to streamline processes while sales seeks to please customers by customizing -- the result can be repeated misunderstanding and extreme mistrust. Even otherwise reasonable employees can... Continue reading
What Happens When Leaders Divide to Conquer
Working with teams or leaders in conflict is a crucial part of many of my assignments -- even when it was not included in the original scope of work. Sometimes these disagreements arise because individual... Continue reading
What Happens When We Misread Cues and Get Things Wrong
We like to think we understand what’s going on. But sometimes we get things completely wrong. Take a look at this very short video about how, even with the best of intentions, our attempts to... Continue reading
How Missed Signals Show When We Don’t Understand Each Other
One day last week after lunch, while walking back to my office, I noticed a man parking in the last of four curbside spots in front of the Post Office. He maneuvered a bit and... Continue reading