Are you a manager who leads through fear and intimidation? Unfortunately, a lot of leaders do this. Sometimes it even works. If your staff fears you, you might get more out of them. Alternatively, you might find that they’ll just “work to the rules” – you’ll never get a hundred per cent out of them. What are the disadvantages of the “my way or the highway” approach?

Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don’t interfere as long as the policy you’ve decided upon is being carried out. ~ Ronald Reagan

Think about the way you respond to intimidation, and ask yourself if fear is really the way you want to motivate your team. It might get you results in the short term, but what about the long-term consequences? What do you suppose could happen if your management approach is intimidating and unapproachable? Read on, and consider the consequences of an overbearing management approach.

Here are some of the things that could happen.

Many corporate leaders and employees have the right intentions, but it can be overwhelming when you consider how everything is affected from leadership styles, to organizational structure, to employee engagement, to customer service an marketplace. ~ Simon Mainwaring

It’s not hard to lead when things remain the same day after day. You have your own style, and it’s worked for you so far. But what happens when things get shaken up a bit? If you have to change your leadership style, can you?

Why You Might Need to Change Your Leadership Style

Let’s say that you’re suddenly dealing with a group of new hires, and they’re just not as competent as the people you’re used to working with. If your nature is to let people do their own thing as long as they get results, can you really do that now? Or are you going to have to start telling them what to do?

Alternatively, you could be noticing a shift in the people you’ve worked with for a long time. Perhaps they’ve become less productive, and it may have nothing to do with you. Has the nature of the job changed? Have they had to accept a wage cut or a reduction in benefits due to poor economic conditions? Or is it something as mundane as the fact that they’re collectively sick of a long period of horrible weather and they’re sluggish?

In the final analysis, it really doesn’t matter why productivity is down. Whether it’s new hires or suddenly under-performing older staff, it’s your job to lead, and you may have to change your style in order to do it effectively.

You’re Stuck in Your Ways and Don’t Think You Can Change

It’s very unlikely that you can’t change your leadership style. It’s important to understand the difference between style and personality. Your personality is probably pretty entrenched – for example, a person who’s friendly and outgoing is not likely to be able to morph into the type of person who prefers keeping a low profile. Similarly, people who are quiet and shy often have to really force themselves to behave in an outgoing way because it’s not in their nature – not part of their personality.

Style is a whole different matter. Like style in clothing, style in leadership is developed under the influence of external factors – it’s not innate. You almost certainly incorporate certain elements of your personality into your leadership style, but that style isn’t etched in stone. In fact, if you and your team aren’t on the same page for whatever reason, you’re probably going to have no choice but to tweak your style for the overall good of the group.

Identify Your Style Before You Try to Change It

Before you can change your leadership style, you need to have a good grasp of how you’re leading right now. Think about how you like to work.

1. Authoritative Leaders

Do you create a vision of how things ought to be and then instruct your people as to how you want it implemented? If this sounds like you, you’re an authoritative leader.

2. Democratic Leaders

By way of contrast, democratic leaders seek feedback, frequently ask for suggestions, and then get down in the trenches and work along with the team.

3. Laissez-Faire Leaders

Laissez-faire leaders hire people they feel are qualified to do the job, and then let them do it with minimal instruction.

Choosing Your Style

Changing your style is going to require quite a bit of practice, and a lot of commitment. For example, if you’re an authoritative leader, you’re going to have to loosen the apron strings, and you’ll probably need to do it gradually – it’s not realistic to think that you’re going to completely change overnight. You might start, for instance, by having your team report to you just once a day instead of twice or three times. Conversely, a laissez-fair leader might ask for a weekly progress report if he or she has never done that before.

What Next?

If you find that your team isn’t responding to your leadership the way they once did, you need to find out the reason. If you determine that it is your style, you can change, but it will require some effort.

Please take a moment to leave a comment.

Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.
~Warren G. Bennis

Some people are natural leaders. Others find themselves forced into the role. If you feel that you fall into the latter category, don’t despair – you’re in good company. Take heart from the knowledge that obviously someone saw something in you that led them to believe you’d be a good leader. Now your job is to dig deep within yourself, and identify your strengths.

Your Game Plan

Good leaders are made, not born, so let’s get to work. Here are a few tips that will help you develop the skills and techniques you need to become an effective leader.

1. Embrace the Challenge

To be an outstanding leader, you must grasp the proverbial bull by the horns. Be enthusiastic, energetic and passionate. Accept your role as the facilitator in helping your group to achieve its goals. Make this your way of life, and constantly strive for excellence. Be inspiring, empowering and positive – your subordinates will take their cue from your behavior and attitude, so rise to the challenge. Even if you feel disheartened, try to maintain a positive outlook.

2. Remember Commitment Isn’t Just a Word

You have to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Remember when Barack Obama was running for President of the United States? His campaign slogan was “Yes we can!” Remember if you’re committed to a course of action, make sure it’s likely to be achievable. Don’t think that you can motivate your people with rhetoric like “We’re number one!” when they know perfectly well that the best you can hope for is a solid number two. Be honest – tell them if you’re shooting for second place, and give them guidance on how to get there.

3. Listen and Recognize

The people you lead need to feel that you are approachable and that you care about them. Effective leaders know the value of individual contributions, and understand that good employees who aren’t recognized as such may very well jump ship. Most people who look for greener pastures aren’t looking for more money; they leave because they don’t feel appreciated. Let your people know that you value their input, and when you act on that input, recognize the fact. A simple “Good job” goes a long way.

4. Establish a Leadership Style

You’re not going to suddenly wake up in the middle of the night with the wondrous revelation, “This is how I am meant to lead!” If only it were that easy. You’re going to have to work at developing a leadership style. Go to seminars, talk to colleagues whose style you admire, and read books and articles about effective leadership. Take what you can use from multiple sources, and don’t be afraid to be yourself.

5. Try New Things

Do you go out to supper at the same pub every Friday night, and always order the same thing because it’s what you know, and you’re afraid if you have something different you won’t like it? Carrying this sort of mentality over into the workplace can be stultifying. It’s tempting to stick with what’s worked in the past, but trudging around in the same old rut can be limiting. If you make a mistake, what’s the worst that can happen? Learn from your mistakes and move forward. Your subordinates will respect you for being an innovative leader, one who’s open to new ideas. You’ll grow, and so will they.

6. Finish What You Start

As a leader, your ability to get the job done is paramount. Make a plan and follow through. If you can’t stick with it, your subordinates will notice, and they will lose confidence in your ability to lead. This doesn’t mean that you can’t tweak the process and fine-tune your approach; it just means that you must be in it for the long haul, and you must let this show.

Summing Up

You got this promotion because you earned it, and you have the ability to lead. Now get out there and do it!

A good leader can engage in a debate frankly and thoroughly, knowing that at the end he and the other side must be closer, and thus emerge stronger. You don’t have that idea when you are arrogant, superficial, and uninformed.
~Nelson Mandela

The debate as to whether a great leader is born or made has been raging for practically as long as there have even been leaders. One suspects that before recorded history, it might have gone something like this:

Grud: Og lucky. Born with smart that make him head honcho.

Durb: No, Og boss because Og work hard, learn how lead good.

Grud: You wrong, Durb. Og parents make smart kids. Og littermates smart too.

And on it goes…

So, is it nature or nurture? Could it be a bit of both?

Recent Studies Suggest Leaders Could Be Born

On April 12, 2013, an article in the Daily Mail by Amanda Williams discussed the theory that great leaders may have brains that are wired in such a way that they have an edge when it comes to memory functions and decision-making skills. The results of the study would seem to suggest that natural (or “born”) leaders have a bit more grey matter in areas that control memory and decision-making, and this gives them an edge when it comes to filling leadership roles.

Another study, conducted by researchers at University College London, found that a startling number of subjects who were in supervisory positions had a gene known as rs4950. Taken together, these studies suggest that there is a “leadership gene,” and that born leaders could be identified by using brain scans.

We Can Use Science to Separate the Wheat from the Chaff!

Not so fast. It would be fabulous if there were, indeed, a sort of shortcut that would allow us to identify potential leaders – think of the competitive advantage that would give your business. It would be a huge mistake, though, to think that you don’t have to consider individual personalities. Say you have a world-class cricket player who rises to the top of his sport based on what appears to be pure natural ability. He doesn’t work all that hard, doesn’t do much of anything special, in fact, except show up for the match. Obviously, he was born talented. His twin brother shares the same genetic material, but sits home watching telly and drinking all day. Much good genetics are going to do if you want to recruit him for the team. He was born with the same genetic material with which his brother was blessed, but he lacks motivation and interest.

Does Genetic Makeup Make a Huge Difference?

Genetic background may give a bit of an advantage, but it comes down to what a person does with what they’ve been given. We expect that leaders will be able to motivate a group to achieve success. We expect them to be driven and charismatic, and to be willing to take on the responsibility of making decisions. These are all traits that are developed. No one is born with them.

So What Makes a Great Leader?

No matter what you’re born with, if you don’t learn, you don’t lead. Leading requires constant learning and upgrading of the skills that are relevant to your position within your organization. Great leaders try things out, and then evaluate the results. They learn from their mistakes. They also ask for feedback from co-workers and bosses. Finally, they know how to adjust their behaviour in order to achieve better results. All this is learned behaviour.

Learning how to lead is an endless process of seeking out opportunities and improving skills. Great leaders will typically show indications of their potential in late childhood and early adolescence, and will develop that potential on their journey through life.

It’s Not What You Have, It’s What You Do with It

Simply stated, some great leaders may be born with better “raw material.” But it’s what a person does with that material that makes the difference between the great and the merely adequate, or the adequate and the utterly useless.

 Why not leave us a comment?

Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.
~Michael Jordan

A few weeks ago, I attended an awards ceremony held by a particular organization. Let’s call this organization Team A. At the end of the night, the ceremony had rave reviews from people who enjoyed the event. From the music to the ambience to the food, everything was done well.

Just a week later I went to an event that was held by a different, unrelated organization. For argument’s sake, let’s call them Team B. Everything seemed to go wrong on the night of this event. There was confusion about the program for the evening, some entertainment acts were missing, and the event started and ended late.

What happened?

Simply put, there was a big difference in how well each team worked.

For some people, working in a team creates nothing but challenges, while for others, the idea of working with others is both enjoyable and productive. Whichever applies, when working in an organization, you can be certain that teamwork will be required to get your job done.

Good teamwork is highly prized because of a number of benefits that putting employees into teams can provide. These benefits include:

• Increased productivity through synergy of effort
• Increased customer satisfaction through improved customer service
• Increased job satisfaction through increased employee empowerment

Of course, teamwork doesn’t always go as planned, and at times working in teams actually hinders productivity.  For example, with Team B above, it could be argued that they were less effective as a team than they would have been if they were working as independent individuals.

How to reap the benefits of a team

You can avoid the pitfalls of bad teamwork and reap the benefits of a more productive team by taking the time to understand how a team works and then making available the tools that will help your team function.

Here are five ways to help your team to become more efficient and productive:

1. Have clear goals

For a group or team to work effectively, you must ensure that goals are clearly expressed and explained. By outlining your goals, it will be much easier to track progress and make people accountable for progress towards those goals. With clear goals, progress can be broken down to monthly, weekly and even daily milestones to ensure that everybody stays on track.

2. Establish clear communication

A team’s overall effectiveness and productivity depends greatly on how well the team members communicate. Communication between your team members should be clear, and you should use agreed-upon methods and schedules to achieve maximum efficiency. Without good communication, it’s easy for misunderstandings to take place, which will greatly affect the efficiency of any group. With clear communication, issues that arise are addressed as quickly as possible, and little time is wasted. For example, Team A’s clear communication meant that each person knew their role in organizing the handing out of awards. On the other hand, it is likely that bad communication on Team B’s part led to confusion over responsibility for tasks and responsibilities on the night of the event.

3. Time frames and deadlines

Establishing time frames and deadlines is critical to ensure the effective running of a group. Each team member should have a deadline or time frame for each action or deliverable for which they are responsible. These deadlines will help the group to deliver the overall or larger goals within the groups agreed schedule.

Deadlines are necessary because they give focus to both the overall group and individual group members and they allow people to plan and to manage their time properly to deliver the best work possible.

4. Proper assignment of roles/successful delegation

Proper assignment or delegation of roles or tasks to team members is another important aspect of good team dynamics. Each team member should be assessed in terms of their knowledge, skills, and expertise in order to find their strengths. Tasks should then be assigned to team members as best matches their skills in order to achieve the team goal in the most effective and efficient manner possible.

By matching skills to tasks, you are ensuring that each task is completed to its maximum potential.

5. Learn about your team members

Another tried and tested method of improving group dynamics is to learn about your team members. In particular, it is important to identify the positive and negative group roles that your team members may play in order to help plan for possible issues in the future.

In addition, by using team-building techniques, you build and nurture healthy relationships with group members.

Working in a group doesn’t have to be a nightmare. With a bit of knowledge about how groups work, you can achieve more and aspire to greater achievements.

Please leave a comment with your thoughts.

Successful people are simply those with successful habits.
~Brian Tracy

You will agree with me that while anyone can be placed in a manager’s position, not everyone can lead a team. You may be good at what you do, but managing a team is a whole different story. There are many factors that must be considered. The good news is you don’t have to rely on inborn traits. You can develop qualities that will take your team to the top, and even take management courses if you find this helpful.

Employees rely on a strong leader to pave the way towards success.

A good leader is crucial to unlocking the potential of the entire team, which leads to overall better productivity and efficiency. You can learn more about Becoming a More Inspirational Leader in our helpful article.

Let’s take a look at some of the habits successful managers possess:

1. Lead by example.

The first and most important characteristic of a successful manager is that they walk their talk. You can’t simply talk about core values, habits, and goals that you expect your employees; you must demonstrate those in order to be taken seriously. You shouldn’t expect your employees to change, unless they see that their managers are doing the same thing.

2. Information sharing.

In times past, managers had access to all the information that was necessary to evolve. They would then delegate tasks based on this information and expect employees to act on them, without asking questions. This is no longer the case today; you as a manager can no longer simply accumulate information. Successful managers make sure that their employees can find the information they need at any time to get their job done.

3. Open communication.

It’s important that your team members feel able to talk to you when they feel that they need to. One good example of this is having an “open door policy”, which removes intimidation and reduces communication barriers. It’s your way of telling your staff that they can talk to you whenever they need to. Listening to what your employees feel will clue you in on ideas or obstacles that you may not see.

4. Constructive feedback.

Successful managers have grasped the importance of giving constructive feedback to the team in a way that is helpful. You should base feedback on concrete evidence or observation, and be information-specific. Feedback should be straight to the point and kept professional, away from issues that deal with feelings or emotion. If your employee can improve on something or did something wrong, feedback should be given immediately rather than letting it wait.

5. Ability to remain calm.

Because your team is counting on you, you can’t afford to break down when the pressure builds up. Managers are pillars of their team, which means that you are being relied on especially when the going gets tough. Always have an air of calmness and focus on what needs to get done. Remember that there will always be days that don’t go as planned, but try to keep a positive outlook for the sake of the team.

6. Implement training for the team.

A successful manager is one who’s able to help the team improve their skill set. Training can enhance an individual’s strengths while providing the tools team members need to work on their weaknesses. Training not only helps your team become more efficient, it also boosts employee morale.

7. Mediation.

Disputes within the workplace may sometimes be inevitable, but a good manager is capable of mediating. To be successful as a mediator though, managers should be able to be objective when dealing with issues.

As a manager, it’s never enough to have the intelligence or technical expertise to run your business. The habits just covered are soft skills that managers should also develop to create the conditions for success in the workplace, while keeping employees happy. These factors translate into successful businesses and increased productivity.

Leave us a comment!

Define what your brand stands for, its core values and tone of voice, and then communicate consistently in those terms.
~Simon Mainwaring

We often relate the term “value” to money. While profits and a company’s overall value are important, managers need to focus more on the values of their business. A business’s values should be created by its owner and top management with the conscious thought that these are building blocks for a company’s success. Good core values should be instilled from the start of an enterprise, as they help influence a company’s people, business systems, and vision.

As a company changes, its core values may change as well.

In the long run, adjusting core values can help fine-tune a company’s path to success, which contributes to its evolution. Clearly communicating your business’s core values to the employees will help them realize what the bigger picture entails, helping them establish an identity and find their place in the work environment. This will contribute to employees having a positive attitude, but there are other ways you can instill this in employees. For more on cultivating a positive attitude among employees, read the helpful article, 5 Keys to a Positive Attitude.

1. Integrity.
Great companies are built on a foundation of integrity, which inspires people to be honest, and to do the right thing, regardless of the circumstances. Employees who understand the importance of integrity know that they must do the right thing, even if it means that they must forego personal gains.

2. Innovation.
Encourage your team to think outside the box in all aspects of the business. While every organization encounters challenges big and small, not all companies have enough innovative spirit to overcome them and become stronger. How can you train your employees to value innovation? You can discuss obstacles with them, recognize best practices that have been developed by employees, and reward them.

3. Respect for the individual.
Employees are the most important asset of any company, and putting them at the focus of your core business values will help you move further. Let employees know that they are important by building a workplace that honors them. Your company manual of ethics should have a section that clearly defines rules to protect each individual—anti-harassment, anti-racism, and anti-bullying policies—and should provide employees with outlets for filing complaints; these are some ways you can instill this core value.

4. Win-win solutions.
Creating win-win solutions for clients and suppliers can easily catapult your business to success. Remember that the best partnerships benefit both parties; they’re not one-way streets. If you possess this core value, your company will be a favored partner, and this will be a major key to growth.

5. Be driven by strategy.
Regularly get everyone involved in planning for the future. There is always room for improvement, and to become successful you need to have a sound strategy in place for how to achieve that improvement. Involving everyone in this process can highlight obstacles or innovative ideas you might otherwise overlook. This will also help you create better systems, to help everyone work better, and to produce a better product or service consistently.

6. Adaptability.
While we can’t always predict everything, it’s best to be prepared. Successful businesses have embraced the value of adaptability, and have trained their teams to think this way. Adaptability is key to sustainability, and it promotes lifelong learning. It will help your team learn to innovate together to triumph over unexpected challenges.

7. Recognition.
Recognizing your employees for their achievements reinforces good employee morale, and in turn will encourage better performance. There are many ways to provide your employees with recognition, especially if you provide regular feedback for each individual during appraisal.

These are some core values to help you get started, and you’ll want to give key personnel input on your company’s core values, but as a leader, you can also define your own that are non-negotiable. Ask yourself what the absolute values are that will help you succeed, and prioritize those. Successful companies build core values around employees, efficiency, and integrity, so these should definitely be among your building blocks for success.

Why not leave a comment?

The joy is in the getting there. The beginning years of starting your business, the camaraderie when you’re in the pit together, are the best years of your life. So rather than being so focused on when you get big and powerful, if you can just get the juice out of that… don’t miss it.

~Barbara Corcoran

There are countless studies that prove social interaction greatly contributes to your health. It helps you deal with stress better, strengthens your immune system, improves cognitive ability, and can even help you live longer. Integrating social interaction into the workplace will yield better results for your business.

The benefits of encouraging camaraderie in the office are significant.

Employees who regularly gather together trust each other more, which contributes to better teamwork. It also makes them more loyal to the business as a whole. Camaraderie strengthens communications within a team, and these all contribute to the bottom line of the organization.

Today, we rely more on electronic communication more than ever before.

This limits face-to-face interaction in offices, which deteriorate communication and thus hurt businesses. We should never underestimate the power of social interaction; you can read more about a key piece of this interaction, becoming a better listener, in the helpful article, Why Not Take the Listening Skills Test. Reducing social communications hinders the flow of innovation and creative ideas as well as preventing people from connecting to the bigger picture.

Here are a few things you can do to improve efficiency through camaraderie in your organization.

1. Plan regular out-of-office activities to help the team unwind and interact.
This will help your team feel more comfortable with each other, especially if you have new members on the team. Getting to know each other outside the workplace will create a better understanding between team members, and can help them work together better back in the office. Out-of-office activities can range from bowling, dinner and drinks, to sports days. Even an office luncheon where no work is discussed will serve.

2. Initiate a schedule for regular staff meetings.
Get everyone involved during meetings, so they can brainstorm and learn problem-solving techniques together while sharing input. You can even have breakout sessions where teams are broken down into smaller groups, reinforcing more intimate discussion. This will help each person bring out their individual strengths and contribute to the discussions.

3. Brief your team about the importance of camaraderie.
Let employees know how important it is to the health of the organization as well as for each individual to work together seamlessly. This means getting along well in and out of the workplace. If one of your team members has conflict with someone in the office, be the mediator and help them resolve matters as amicably as possible.

4. Provide regular training sessions lead by one person in your team periodically.
With any change in a modern organization, there will be one person who has adapted much faster than everyone else. Highlight that individual’s strength by having them train the rest of the team, familiarizing everyone with the business subject better. This will help your team learn to communicate and learn with each other, but be sure everyone gets a chance to train.

5. Stock up on the snack drawer in the kitchenette.
This sounds simple, but it will engage your team in more ways than one. It will encourage conversations at the office when one or more are taking in a quick break. The kitchenette is one of the places your team can gather and have a chat. A snack drawer means that they don’t have to step out of the office if they want to eat and talk.

You may or may not have had experience working in a dysfunctional office environment full of politicking and backstabbing. This is the type of working environment that nobody enjoys, and as a manager or leader it’s your job to prevent it from the outset.

A healthy and happy work environment where employees can interact with one another will result in better work output. Friendly employees will lead to better retention rates, because people will want to stay in their jobs longer. Better retention rates translate to savings for your company, avoiding the high costs involved with hiring and training new employees.

Let us know your thoughts!

The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best – Epictetus

No matter what kind of industry you’re in, the link between performance and employee motivation is undeniable.

Each time you delegate tasks to your employees, you probably already expect them to complete it with a level of dedication and commitment to produce quality results. But how can you perform tasks properly if you aren’t motivated? This is the question that managers must strive to work on, and integrate into their company.

Knowing that you already go to work with numerous emails waiting and more projects to perform each day can seem monotonous, but to the motivated employee it’s part of the day’s work and they will complete it as efficiently as possible.

You may not have thought about this before, but the efficiency level of your employees isn’t just bound by their qualifications and ability. There is more to employee efficiency, and for managers to understand this we must look at willingness.

If you’re able to create the ideal balance between your employees’ abilities and their willingness or motivation to work, you will enjoy better productivity and overall improved operations with a lower cost.

Now let’s learn 5 simple ways to motivate your staff:

1. Make sure that your working environment is friendly to everyone

Remember that your staff spends a large amount of their daily lives in the office, so the environment should be as appealing and conducive to work as possible. A good working atmosphere helps people look forward to work each day. Some things you can think about include giving your staff  more space so they don’t feel cramped.

Ensuring that they have enough natural light around will also help them be more productive. The room temperature is also important, maybe you can gather a consensus on what your team feels is the ideal temperature to keep in the office.

2. Food can be a great incentive, as people can be more excited to come to work knowing that there’s free food around.

This also means that they don’t have to step out of the office just to get some coffee or afternoon snacks that will help get them through the day. You don’t need to spend too much money on this; basic coffee and tea as well as occasional donuts and pizza will suffice.

3. Learn how to build ownership among your employees, which will help them feel that they are more responsible for the product or service you provide.

This will also help build their self-esteem, instead of letting them feel that they simply work at your company. Meeting your company’s goals will mean that you will need to have projects in place. One of the best ways is to delegate employees to head projects that can utilise each person’s strength.

4. Keep your employees informed about what’s going on in the business

Top management and business owners know much more about the bigger picture than employees do. It will pay off when you share this information with the team. Make it common knowledge for them to understand new developments in the industry, possible new products in the pipeline, as well as any new challenges that may lie ahead for everyone.

Sharing intelligence will further strengthen your employees’ self-esteem. This will also help them feel that they are an important part of your business.

5. Positive reinforcement by acknowledging the hard work and dedication of your employees is crucial to motivation

Sometimes, we may not realise that we continually try to  motivate employees to do something, but forget to recognise them once they have done it. This may cause your employees to be less motivated the next time you ask them to do something.

As a leader, it is your job to motivate your employees. If your team feels like talking to you will simply drain them of energy rather than inspire them, you are not getting the best out of your team.

Why not leave a comment about what motivates your employes.

Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means – Ronald Reagan

Earlier on in my work life, I  was in an organisation where the relationship between employee and management could best be described with one word. Toxic. The atmosphere was bad. Relationships between employees were no better. And all this contributed to making the work environment very stressful.

Relationships often become strained due to unresolved conflict within the workplace. While conflict is necessary for a properly functioning workplace, this conflict doesn’t have to cause strained workplace relationships.

Of course, negative impacts from bad relationships aren’t limited to the workplace. They happen at home and just about anywhere you have more than one person occupying the same space.

By learning how to properly manage conflict, you can improve efficiency while keeping good relationships.

Here are 7 ways to practice good conflict management that will lead to better relationships at work:

1. Use active listening

Active listening techniques can go a long way in resolving workplace conflict. Active listening is a way of listening and responding to others in a way that improves understanding. Active listening enables you to understand what the other party is saying with words. With active listening, you are also listening for what is not spoken with words.

Through your own response, you check to see if you fully understand what the other party is saying. You communicate to the conflicting party that you are paying attention to and have an interest in what message is being conveyed.

Active listening will equip you with the information needed to arrive at a position that is beneficial to all concerned.

2. Expect conflict

Instead of trying to ignore or avoid conflict, you should understand that conflicts are an inevitable part of relationships and interaction. Since people have different ideas and motivations, it is inevitable that conflict will occur within the workplace.

Avoiding or ignoring conflict is often counter-productive and can be damaging to workplace relationships. Instead of running away from conflict, it is important to tackle conflict head on in an attempt to come to the best resolution.

3. Pick your conflicts well

Knowing when to embrace conflict and when to avoid it is an important part of good conflict management. Don’t get too caught up on standing up for yourself all the time – sometimes it may be better to back off and allow the other person to “win”. These situations occur when you realise that the outcome isn’t worth spending time or energy over or when the conflicting party have a valid point.

4. Don’t get too emotional

When engaging in conflict resolution, it is important to manage and control your emotions. This is because being emotional will have a negative impact on your conflict management abilities. When you become too emotional, your thinking becomes clouded and you are unable to think logically and rationally in dealing with conflict.

Being too emotional can easily escalate the level of hostility in a conflict. In order to avoid becoming more emotional, simple techniques such as counting to ten or walking away from the situation will allow you to “cool down” and later resume the situation with a more level head. If both parties had remained less emotional in the conflict in my old workplace, the stormy situation would not have happened and the tense office environment would not have arisen.

5. Separate the person from the problem

It is important to view the conflict itself as separate and apart from the person that you are having a conflict with.

People will often take a conflict and the negative emotions related to that conflict and associate those emotions with the person with whom they are in conflict with. As a result, these negative emotions can take a serious toll on your personal and working relationships.

By separating the person from the conflict, you will manage the conflict better. You increase the likelihood of a successful resolution of the conflict and also ensure a smoother working and personal interaction with the person responsible for the conflict. This again will result in reducing your stress levels at work.

6. Keep conflict private (as possible) 

If you are in conflict with a party at work, then it is best to keep that conflict private between you and the conflicting party. This type of information can lead to a toxic work environment as other people within the workplace begin to take sides and form damaging views of one party or the other. As a result, it is best to keep conflict private or discuss it only with a pre-approved mediator or human resource personnel. For example, it would have been a much better idea for my former workplace to keep her grievances between her and management instead of putting it on display for all to see, or discuss it with the human resource manager in order to come to a more positive resolution.

7. Look for a resolution

Your primary aim in a conflict situation should always be to seek a resolution to the conflict. Many people avoid seeking a solution because of the emotional high that is accompanied with getting a “win” in a conflict.

A conflict resolution that produces a winner and a loser is often counter-productive and only leads to the conflict being dragged out longer. Instead, put your effort into finding solutions that will give both you and the other party a mutually beneficial resolution.

While conflict in the workplace is something that many people feel uncomfortable about, there are ways in which you can deal with this conflict and even allow it to be beneficial to you.

Why not leave a comment and tell us how these 7 ways can helped you.