Projecting a Professional Image

Use Positive words Look at the phrases below.

Which would you rather hear? which would attract your cooperation?

It is pretty clear that the more positive words and phrases we use, the more people will take our message on board.

If you can’t make them positive, at least make them neutral. Here’s How ………..

Negative Phrases Negative Phrases Positive Phrases

You’ll have to …….

You never ……..

You’re not listening ………

No worries !

What’s the problem?

Instead try these positive phases

I’ll need you to …… so that ……..

How about ……….?

Let me run through that again, ……..

That’s terrific,

It’s a pleasure

How can I Help?

Be objective If you want to sound more professional and level-headed , don’t exaggerate or be overly critical.

Compare the negative and disapproving with the more balanced and composed ways of saying the same thing. It is important to get your message across whilst still maintaining strong professional relationships based on trust, openness and integrity. More information about us go to our website:

http://www.highperformancecoachingandtraining.com.au

I hope you will find this information useful

take care Lee Stemm – Leadership and Performance

Coach High Performance coaching and training

Handling Conflict is an Important Skill A vital sign her high performance teams is the ability to handle team conflict. Conflict among team members is an inevitable part of group life. People pulled together to work on complex issues will naturally experience frictions associated with diverse working styles, thinking styles, behavioral norms, and performance expectations. Research, indicated that it’s how people work with the conflict that determines whether their conflict is a positive and productive force or a destructive force. And so, if we can order one piece of advice for handling team conflict, it is this: “do not avoid it”. avoid ind conflict not only stifles creativity, it creates barriers to relationships that can ultimately pull the team apart. Rather than avoiding it, we suggest that team members develop an orientation to conflict that allows them to expect it, work through it, and learn and grow from it.

Teams that have established sound team management practices and problem-solving skills have fewer conflicts. This makes sense intuitively, because establishing team management practices forces team members to identify behavioral norms and to develop a common understanding of their purpose, objectives, and strategies. This alone removes many pressures and paternal sources of team friction.
Furthermore, teams with well-developed problem-solving abilities have developed the capacity to work out and build on diverse views rather than stifle them. Even with well-developed team management and problem-solving skills, most teams from time to time will encounter issues that can lead to interpersonal strain.

So what causes conflict within teams?
Using our circle of conflict tool outlines some of the major sources of conflict, regardless of the level (interpersonal,organizational, communal, or society) or setting: The circle identifies five central causes of conflict:

1. problems with people’s relationships
2. problems with data
3. perceived or actual incompatible interests
4. structural forces
5. differing value

Are you currently using a structured process to deal with conflict within the organization or business. High performance Coaching and Training can support and assist you in developing and implementing a sound conflict management. Just give us a call and org anise a meeting with us. We can come to your office or talk over the phone.
I hope you have enjoyed this article – In our leadership mastery series – next topic – 1/2 day Conflict Management Workshop – En quires are welcomed.
I hope you have found this information helpful.
Take Care
Lee Stemm – leadership and Performance Coach + Trainer
High Performance Coaching and Training

www.highperformancecoachingandtraining.com.au

 

Negativity is toxic. Addressing it head on and specifically goes a long way to not only resolve your conflict but also to create a more productive work environment for everyone. See here are some phrases that you can use when working with this employee -

• We all need to support the ideas we agree to as a team
• We should try to be more open to suggestions anybody makes about improvement. It will ge us a long way.
• Listening non defensively to feedback from our customers is very important.
• We have to avoid always finding what is wrong and never looking at what is working.
• Talking negatively behind other people’s backs is a no-no.
• We can’t work with leaders who are supportive in pubic but not in private
• It seems unacceptable to me that during a meeting you are positive, but afterword you go around and talk negatively about what we decided
• Whenever ___________ brings up a new idea, you roll your eyes! I fear he or she will soon not make any more suggestions.
• I was shocked when we had that conversation at lunch yesterday and you did nothing but highlight the negative characteristics of people. collaborating with you will be very difficult when you only see people’s weaknesses.
• Are you aware of the fact that you come across as negative
• Do you agree that you have to break this negative pattern? How are you going to do it? how can I help? Would you want some coaching?

I hope some of these phrases give you some idea in moving forward with this employee.

take care

Lee Stemm = Leadership and Performance Coach / Trainer

www.highperformancecoachingandtraining.com.au

Dealing with poor performance

If someone’s performance is not reaching expectations, don’t wait until appraisal time rolls around before addressing the problem. Deal with it quickly, before it deteriorates even further or becomes a hard-to-break habit, and before your temper frays and your comments are motivated by anger than helpfulness.
Research shows that 85% of the time, poor performance is outside the employee’s control. Often what looks like a poor performance problem is not really one at all. Less than 15% of cases of poor performance result from employees having a pressing personal or motivational problem that is stopping their ability to willingness to do their job well.
Possible causes of poor performance

Poor Performance – 85% of the time

• Poor or insufficient training or experience
• Faulty tools, equip or materials
• Cumbersome procedures and systems
• Unclear or unspecified performance standards
• Performance standard not understood or seen as unimportant
• Poor performance is as rewarding as good performance
• Lack of information
• Poor job placement
• Poor teamwork or disharmony in the team

Poor Performance – 15% of the time

• Leader not setting a good example • Personal problems
• Acts of God

Here’s how to build performance …….
• Stick to behavior (what the employee says or does) or a measure of success not met. Make sure it’s an issue they can do something about.
• Be balanced: give both positive and constructive feedback
• Be a coach, not a critic
• Don’t attack the person, just their performance. You can’t make someone do better by making them feel bad
• Say ‘I’ more than ‘you’ to avoid sounding patronizing or pushy
• Follow your formula for giving feedback
• Keep the focus on improving performance.

I hope you have found this article interesting and helpful

Lee Stemm – High Performance Coaching and Training

Leadership and performance  coach  and trainer

Looking for Professional Development? Give our office a call and we can discuss your needs!

www.highperformancecoachingandtraining.com.au

1300 661 453

Here are some great conflict phrases to use when there isn’t enough resources:

• I know times are tight now and we have to do more with less
• You have said that we need to be more creative with the resources we have
• I have been around long enough to know that there is never enough time/money.people here

however ……….

• It seems like I keep getting more and more on my plate with no additional help
• the list of objectives keep growing while the resources are shrinking
• there isn’t enough time in the day anymore
• everyone is pressing me to create more results
• I cannot be all things to all people
• it seems like there is unrealistic planning going on

specifically …………..

• i am working sixty hour a week and there is no end in sight
• I worked all weekend to prepare for the project meeting – and this was not the first time
• Pauline gave me another project to work on, on top of everything else
• the deadline for the system rollout was moved up a month and we lost two people on the implementation team

Follow Up Phrases:

• Do you have any suggestions?
• Do you have any creative ideas?

I hope some of these ideas are useful

 

Lee Stemm PCC

leadership and Performance Coach / Trainer

www.highperformancecoachingandtraining.com.au

 

 

 

When a colleague expresses a point of view that you disagree with, a typical response is to advocate your point of view even more. This can, in fact, escalate the conflict. Instead, try first inquiring about his or her opinion before advocating yours. Here are some phrases here for inquiring:

• Tell me moe about that.
• That disturbs me for some reason. Can you explain it some more?
• What d you mean by ________________?
• what led you to this conclusion?
• Who rcomended this?

I hope you have foundsome of these phrases useful.

Lee Stemm PCC – Leadership and Performance Trainer / Coach

www.highperformancecoachingandtraining.com.au

What is conflict resolution?

There are two types of conflicts, particularly during any kind of change. The first we’ll call direct conflict. This is when it is clear there is a difference of opinion, including:

• Your perception of the situation is at odds with another person’s
• Your point of view is at odds with someone else’s
• Your needs are at odds with another party’s.

The second type of conflict involves situations where bad feelings develop over time and create a barrier to relationships and productivity. We call this latent conflict. This kind of conflict can result from a number of causes, such as one person not handling the initial situation well right away, a lack of skills on the part of one or more people in addressing the situation, or even the difficult personality of one or more people involved.

High Performance Coaching and Training specialises in leadership and performance development through training and coaching. When working with our clients we have noticed a common trend of just avoiding the conflict. Some of the causes for avoiding resolution are that the conflict is:

• Too risky – you believe there is too much political risk to address it. A poorly handled conflict could result in fallout that will damage a project, a task, or even your career.
• Unpleasant – it is just too hard.
• Too personal – you may think that the issue is not work related.
• Difficult to control – you do not have confidence you can control yourself. Or maybe the other party has a history of being explosive and you think you don’t have the skills to manage the situation.

So here are some tips in handling conflict with your peers.

Perfect Phrases for Conflict with Peers

The most successful people in business are those who can rally their peers around their cause. Whether you are working in a matrixed global organisation or a small local business, your peers can make or break your success. They include anyone in your network, inside or out of your company, who can help you get work done.

It is good practice to think of your peers as external or internal customers.

Here are some perfect phrases for unresolved difference of opinions.

• Thank you for taking the time to discuss _______________ with me in further detail.
• I appreciate having the opportunity to further explore ________________ with you.
• It seems that we have two strong, but opposing points of view on ______________.
• I know this topic is important to both of us. I am glad we can take the time to resolve our differences.
• The way I see it, the objective of this meeting is to see if we can come to a mutually agreeable decision. Do you agree?
• We know why we are meeting, and _______________ is the main topic. Is there anything else we need to discuss related to this?
• We seem to have different or conflicting objectives based on our roles in the organisation. I think we need to discuss what are the criteria for a decision; we can both agree to before debating more ideas. This will enable us to spend our energy on coming up with a solution, rather than arguing about positions.
• I would like to come to an agreement because _________________, do you agree?

I hope you have found this article useful and if High Performance Coaching and Training can assist you in your professional development than just give us a call.

 

War does not determine who is right – only who is left. — Bertrand Russell

Lee Stemm – PCC

Leadership and Performance Coach / Training

www.highperformancecoachingandtraining.com.au

 

Defining Delegation

Once the decisions have been made, it’s time to get to work. But you can’t do it all yourself. And if you think you can you’re wrong. In fact, doing it all yourself can burn you out, dull your decision making skills, and make you the weak link in the team’s drive for success.

You need to delegate! But just what is delegation?

Delegation is sharing the load. It’s about communicating the vision for success, setting clear direction, and then assigning responsibilities based on the project needs and your employees’ abilities.

Whether you’re the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, a small business owner or a homemaker, you can put delegation to work for you. Smart CEOs delegate the operation of the business to their vice presidents, and expect them to do the same with their managers, and so on. Successful small-business owners may work more hands on than a corporate CEO, but they also know how to spread responsibilities among their team. And balanced homemakers know how to get the family in on the act of managing the household.

It really doesn’t matter what size organisation you are with, or if you’re with an organisation at all: when it’s time to get the work done, it’s time to delegate.

We are conducting a Decision making and delegation workshop on the 16th June – more details please go to our website -

www.highperformancecoachingandtraining.com.au

take care

lee stemm

Gaining Commitment through Leadership
Leadership is creating an environment in which people want to be part of the organization and not just work for the organization. Leadership creates an environment that makes people want to, rather than have to, do. It is a business imperative to create that environment. I am obligated to create an environment where people feel part of something, feel fulfilled, and have purpose. It is purpose – it is getting the maximum from them, and are giving the maximum to the person. Anything less is irresponsible to the organization and demands more handling by the individual.
When you see people only as fulfilling a function, you’re treating them like a think, like the chair you’re sitting on. I don’t think we as humans can assume the right to do that. None of us want to be just something standing in a corner. We found the greatest satisfaction for an employee is to feel part of something and to feel trusted to make decisions and to contribute.
Vision on a personal scale translates into path finding in an organizational setting. Whereas individually you identify what you see to be significant, now your challenge and role is to create a shared view of what is important, of what matters most. Consider for a moment the following questions you might ask about your employees:
1. Do people clearly understand the organizational goals?
2. Are they committed?
Helping people clearly understand and get committed to significant goals requires you to involve them in decision making. Together you determine the destination of the organization (vision and mission). Then everybody in the organization will have ownership in the path that leads to the destination (values and strategic plan).
In determining together what is most important to an organization or team, you need to come to grips with the realities you face. Once you understand them, you work until a shared vision and value system are embodied in some kind of mission statement and strategic plan.
Before you can gain commitment from others you need to demonstrate self-discipline. Self-discipline is an essential quality of an authentic leader. Without it, you cannot gain the respect of your followers. It is easy to say that someone has good values but lacks the discipline to convert those values into consistent actions. This is a hollow excuse. None of us is perfect, of course, but authentic leadership must have the self discipline to do everything they can to demonstrate their values through their actions. When we fall short, it is equally important to admit our mistakes.
Leaders who are open with people, even when sharing bad news or offering critical feedback, establish that sense of connection that builds commitment. Trust is built and sustained in the depths of these relationships, and commitment is strengthened so that any obstacle can be overcome. When pressures mount, relationships build on connectedness actually grow.

Leaders are always being examined under the microscope. Their behaviors are observed, discussed, and dissected by their employees as well as by a myriad of outsiders. To be authentic, leaders must behave with consistency and self discipline, not letting stress get in the way of their judgment. They must learn to handle any kind of pressure and stay cool and calm. Handling unexpected challenges requires being in peak condition. They need consistent habits to keep their minds sharp and their bodies in shape.
A number of vital keys are important in gaining commitment. Here are five valuable points.
1. Gaining commitment from others is no longer considered a right or obligation. As many leaders painfully learn, you can’t buy commitment from others no matter how much you pay them. Commitment is a building process and it is earned by a leader who appreciates and values it!

2. The enemy of commitment is silence and exclusiveness demonstrated by the leader. Building commitment means open and honest communication. A wise leader understands that most individuals have a natural resistance to change and are suspicious of any idea or concept forced upon them. Commitment is enhanced when the need for change is clearly and patiently expressed and when the followers’ input is respected as part of the entire change process.

3. A friend of commitment is involvement. People feel a greater sense of commitment when they are involved in the decision-making process. Many leaders fear this because they are afraid that others may offer other options or challenge their own thinking. Experienced leaders don’t fear seeking the involvement of followers because they understand the deepened level of commitment far outweighs the potential of a compromised decision. They know that even the most sound and brilliant decision will fail without the commitment of others.

4. Ask for the commitment of others. This can be done by vividly articulating a clear vision, and personally requesting their solid commitment. Don’t take the support of other workers for granted! Let them know how important they are and how vital their commitment is to achieve success. Often times a personal plea will make a big difference in gaining the deep commitment of others.

5. Set an individual example by demonstrating your own level of commitment. Show others that you are willing to do what you ask of them. Commitment is easily eroded by leaders who think they are “above” and beyond” the tasks expected of others. In contrast, leaders who will roll up their sleeves and occasionally share some lower tasks with others win the respect and admiration of followers. By doing this you state to the follower that you value what they do and appreciate their valuable contribution to the organization.

In conclusion, commitment and involving others in the entire decision-making environment is a modern bond. Use open and honest communication to express the need and reasons for change. Deeply involve the followers to help determine how the change should occur. In exchange for their inclusion, ask for commitment as their promise of dedication and support.

Commitment is founded on trust, respect and a common vision.

I hope you have found this information helpful and interesting.

Lee Stemm – Leadership and Performance Coach / Trainer

High Performance Coaching and Training

People who behave like “think-they-know-it-all” are driven by the need to get appreciation. When they feel slighted in any way, they’ve likely to try harder than ever to attract attention. Think-They-Know-It-Alls push their way into conversations where they may not be wanted.

Your goal with dealing with this type of person is to catch them in their act and give their bad ideas the hook. You’ll be most successful if you can avoid putting them on the defensive. Here’s an action plan for bringing out the best in Think-They-Know-It-Alls.

Give them a little attention – There are two ways to give them attention. The first is to backtrack on his or her comments with enthusiasm. This lets the person know that you’re paying attention.  (and it puts these types on the receiving end of their own foolishness). The second is to acknowledge the positive intent, without wasting your time on his or her information: you’re giving positive attention without necessarily agreeing with his or her remarks.

Clarify for specifics:   If the person doesn’t know what he or she is talking about and you do, this should be easy. Ask some revealing questions about the specifics of his or her information. Since this person normally speak in huge generalisations, pay special attention to words like ‘everybody’ and ‘always’.

Tell it like it is: Carefully redirect the conversation back to reality. Use “I” language to keep your remarks as non-threatening as possible. To add irrefutable evidence, you can document your facts as you go.

Give them a break. At this point, it has become clear that they don’t know what they are talking about. Resist the temptation to embarrass the person. Instead, give them or her a way out, minimizing the chance that they will go on the defensive. They are not as attached to their ideas as the Know-it-alls. If you give them a way to go along with you, chances are they’ll be ready to jump into your bandwagon.

Break the cycle: Once people believe someone is just a Think-they-know-it-all, they may stop giving that person any recognition at all, even when he or she deserves it. But that increases their behaviour even more. “Break the cycle” means be ready to give credit where credit is due. Notice what this problem person is doing right and praise them for it. For some people, this attention will be all that’s necessary to get the problem behaviour to subside. With others, use a gentle confrontation to tell them the truth about the consequences of their negative behaviour.

Adjust your attitude:

1. Don’t burst their bubble: When you challenge them directly, their only way out is to counterattack with ever grander claims. And their conviction could sway others who don’t know any better.
2. Don’t be too quick to judge: We’ve all defended ideas that we didn’t necessary believe to be true.
3. Don’t be tempted to stretch the truth in the other direction: You could end up losing your creditability! Restrain the urge to ‘show up’ them. Move beyond their petty interruptions.

I hope you have found this information informative.

Lee Stemm – Leadership and Performance Coach / Trainer

www.highperformancecoachingandtraining.com.au