Ever been at a complete loss for words in uncomfortable work situations? Here’s a great resource, especially for managers, that the rest of us can benefit from as well. Why Didn’t I Say That?!, What to Say and How to Say It in Tough Situations on the Job by Donald H. Weiss, provides real life situations, sample dialogs for each, and tips for effectively handling those necessary conversations. These can be adapted to a variety of situations including those in our personal lives.
Chapters are broken into such categories as Giving Feedback, Problem Solving, Encouraging Others, Interviewing, Reviews and Appraisals, Communicating with Difficult People, Taking Corrective Action, and Firing and Downsizing dialogs.
Weiss reminds us in Chapter 1 that there are four basic steps to effective Communication:
Opener – set the person at ease and review the purpose and agenda of the meeting
Exchange – getting and giving information that you may be lacking
Resolution of Differences – identify and summarize differences and negotiate conclusion
Action Plan – if a change is needed
He then goes on to show how these steps are used in situations such as “Coaching a Reluctant Employee”. Key phrases to use with this person may include:
“What do you think about…?”
“How would you go about doing this?”
“Here’s the situation… What do you think?”
“I need some extra help with this and I think you can do it. How do you feel about that?”
The script that follows this example and all others give you ideas for wording and how to effectively approach this type of person.
Section IV, “Managing Relationships” can help every one of us. Ever tried to communicate with someone who claims to know everything? ...with someone who doesn’t speak up? …someone who’s judgmental or close-minded? It’s all here – tips and phrases for planning your communication in those less than ideal situations. I recommend it!
The book, published in 1994, can be found on Amazon for $18.95 new.
Please post your comments and suggestions for other work related books. Visit my website at http://www.lousbergunlimited.com/ for information about personal and organizational services.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Defining Your Strengths
You may be familiar with Marcus Buckingham, his books, and the “Strengths Revolution” he advocates. As you may recall, he says the way to finding passion at work is through our strengths, and then to play to those strengths with all our might. In fact, with this in mind, it may not even be necessary to change jobs – take a look at your favorite tasks in your current job, determine where your strength is in those tasks, then build your job around them. Changing jobs too early could mean packing around the same mistakes along with you unless you take the time to analyze what pieces you do truly enjoy.
In an article in the September issue of O Magazine, Marcus says “Our strengths are those situations in which we are intensely, happily, completely engaged.” He also says that all of us, no matter how confused and unhappy we may be about a work situation, have “very good instincts about what we should be doing.”
Think about that. Even if you’re currently planning an exit strategy from your job, you must admit there are some tasks you enjoy doing – things that make you feel good, completely absorbed in the moment, and time seems to fly by when you’re working on these activities. This is where he says to start – define your strengths as narrowly and concretely as possible. To help you do this, he offers a couple of worksheets – one to make notes on during the course of a week about what you “loved” or “loathed”, and the other to test your “loved” ones on a strengths scale. You can find these worksheets here: http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/200709/omag_200709_idea.jhtml
I can’t think of anything more valuable than this type of self-analysis when realizing something needs to change in your work life. This can make all the difference and can be as simple as rearranging your job duties so you’re spending as much time as possible on those things you love to do!
Please post your thoughts on this topic - Strengths in the Workplace. And, visit my website at www.LousbergUnlimited.com for more information about my career transition services.
In an article in the September issue of O Magazine, Marcus says “Our strengths are those situations in which we are intensely, happily, completely engaged.” He also says that all of us, no matter how confused and unhappy we may be about a work situation, have “very good instincts about what we should be doing.”
Think about that. Even if you’re currently planning an exit strategy from your job, you must admit there are some tasks you enjoy doing – things that make you feel good, completely absorbed in the moment, and time seems to fly by when you’re working on these activities. This is where he says to start – define your strengths as narrowly and concretely as possible. To help you do this, he offers a couple of worksheets – one to make notes on during the course of a week about what you “loved” or “loathed”, and the other to test your “loved” ones on a strengths scale. You can find these worksheets here: http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/200709/omag_200709_idea.jhtml
I can’t think of anything more valuable than this type of self-analysis when realizing something needs to change in your work life. This can make all the difference and can be as simple as rearranging your job duties so you’re spending as much time as possible on those things you love to do!
Please post your thoughts on this topic - Strengths in the Workplace. And, visit my website at www.LousbergUnlimited.com for more information about my career transition services.
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