More than skill, ambition, experience, and what college you graduated from, emotional intelligence (EQ) is the number one quality that makes a person promotable, a leader worthy of loyalty, and a group of employees a high-performing team. But EQ requires a high level of self-reflection, consistently seeking feedback and reframing setbacks as lessons to learn. […]
IF YOU BELIEVE FRIENDSHIPS, marriages, teams and companies grow and die one conversation at a time then everyone should make effective communication a top priority. And if that were to happen, we have to get really good at managing conflict.
Here is the conflict resolution action plan, affectionately referred to as CRAP.
I’d like you all to imagine you’re an engineer, working on a NASA project, to launch a shuttle into space. Due to weather and other issues, the launch has been postponed 8 times, each costing NASA millions of dollars. The pressure is mounting to get this bird off the ground. The date is January 28th, […]
Communication without conflict is peaceful, harmonious and pleasant. Imagine your family, fellow employees, and negotiations between nations void of conflict. Wouldn’t we be less stressed, more relaxed, with far fewer lives lost in wars? But communication without conflict can also be boring, unimaginative and repetitive. Imagine how dull conversations over dinner and in team meetings […]
The setting couldn’t have been better: The training room windows inside the lodge pole looked out onto a thick forest. At the other end of the room cushy leather chairs faced a fireplace. The food was gourmet-organic and during breaks we could take walks on the beach. The environment was harmonious. Perfect! For the 15 […]
To witness congress over the last several months, we might get the impression that negotiation is a passive aggressive slug match instead of an art form of elevated communication, or a series of compromises on the way to achieve a common goal. We might roll our eyes when see our elected officials play another game […]
Where do you go to get quality work done? If you’re like the people Jason Fried interviewed for his book “Rework” your answer might be a coffee shop or a special room in the house, or while traveling on a train or a plane. You wouldn’t mention the workplace being a good place to get […]
Holiday Challenge: Elevate the Quality of Each Conversation The holidays are great. But let’s face it. They can be a time of increased stress caused by a lot of poor communication. Why not use the next 30 days to elevate the quality of each conversation? Try this with Uncle Harry over dinner or your boss […]