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Greetings!
Thank you to all who commented on the first
Working Dynamics newsletter. Our goal is to
pass along suggestions for basic ways to build
successful careers and productive workplaces. Hearing
from you helps to accomplish this goal. Some of you
asked if you could forward the newsletter. We hope
you will. Use "Forward email" in blue toward the bottom
and please encourage the recipient to use the "Join
our mailing list!" to sign up to receive future
newsletters.
In this issue, we'll focus on communication at
work -- the value of giving and receiving
feedback, how to step up and confront a problem,
ways leaders can communicate in order to prevent
problems, and how to monitor your team's dynamics
and perceptions of strengths and needs. With all of
these, the goal is to communicate more effectively and
reach higher levels of success. Best wishes,
Working Dynamics.
| Taking Action When It's Hard! |
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We've all postponed handling a problem longer than we
should. Yes, it is wise to step back and take stock of
a situation in order to not act rashly. But do you have
a tendency to step back, take stock, and then NOT
act? How many times have you seen the moment pass,
and buried your concerns, only to have the problem
get worse? One of the most common ways to deal with
conflict is NOT to deal with it. Want to change that?
Four steps ... »
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| Do You Wish Your Feedback Could Motivate Others? |
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It is only natural to want others to behave exactly as
we have in mind. Often they don't. You can do
more than wish for change. You can give a feedback
message that is direct and specific on how someone's
behavior affects you. Properly delivered, there is a
better chance that the receiver will be motivated to
begin, continue, or stop behaviors that affect
performance. The SBI technique of giving feedback
works when giving feedback to your boss, peers, and
subordinates.
Feedback that works ... »
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| Communicating to Prevent Problems |
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Does your team miscommunicate on a too-regular
basis? Are you tired of seeing limited communication
result in delays, errors, or conflict? Have you wondered
how you can be clearer about how you want your
team to perform? You'll get there quickly and easily by
starting with the understanding that the responsibility
for effective communication is shared and your actions
lead the way for others. We all have the best
intentions. Yet, we can slip unintentionally into
communication patterns that have the potential to
create team conflict. Read "Are You Communicating to
Prevent Problems?" for answers to eight important
questions.
Quiz yourself ... »
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| Do You Know What Your Employees Are Thinking? |
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By routinely checking team dynamics, you can identify
underlying problems when they are small and address
them before they become full blown obstacles to team
performance. When group dynamics feel strained
to you, they feel the same to others. If you feel
uncomfortable in team meetings, odds are team
members do too. You want to be continually attuned
to the working dynamics of your team. You accomplish
this through observation and by asking. Formal
feedback that is routine and assures anonymity
is an excellent way to learn what your employees are
really thinking. Whether you have a small team or a
large one, there are nuances you'll miss if you don't
ask. Knowing about concerns early means you
can communicate effectively, tend to small problems
before they escalate, and keep performance and
productivity up. Not asking puts you at risk of being
next in line after clients, customers, and/or
competitors to know what your employees are thinking.
Ways to learn employee perspectives ... »
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| 360-Degree-Feedback Expert in Richmond on Feb. 16 |
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Working Dynamics is proud to host Craig Runde, expert
in the Conflict Dynamics Profile (CDP), on Feb. 16 in
Richmond. Craig is Director of New Program
Development at the Leadership Development Institute
(LDI) at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL.
He will discuss how the CDP is being used in leadership
development programs to deal with conflict behaviors.
He also will introduce the new CDP Individual version,
which becomes available next month. Both versions
provide powerful ways to improve self-awareness of
individual triggers and responses to conflict. They also
provide practical approaches for improving behaviors
that promote conflict resolution.
LDI is a Network Associate of the Center for Creative
Leadership®. CCL uses the CDP instrument in
its Foundations of Leadership program.
Speak with Craig Runde and learn more about these
new assessment instruments and how they can be
used to improve leadership effectiveness at a morning
group session on the 16th or request an afternoon
meeting at your site. Contact Working Dynamics for
details at 804-353-9527 or info@workdyn.com.
More about the Conflict Dynamics Profile ...
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