Stories as Lessons for What NOT to Do
In some ways we are definitely impacted by the people we surround ourselves with. At the same time, being friendly and respectful of everyone is our responsibility as human beings.
Discerning Patterns and Choosing Change
Sometimes our biggest models in behavior are the worst ones, and if we are paying attention and can stop the patterns in our lives, we can learn who we don't want in be.
How many times have you spoken to a child and thought: "that was my mother's voice! I swore I'd never say THAT!"? You make a decision, then and there, never to do it again. But you do, probably a few more times before the lesson sinks in.
The best managers, leaders, and yes, parents, are the ones who have had those negative experiences and actively, intentionally choose to do things differently.
In this podcast, Mary Schaefer shares a couple of stories of bosses who gave bad advice, and couldn't see the value in treating everyone in the workplace with respect, no matter what their position. One was even convinced that if she interacted in a friendly way with people in the "lower" positions, she'd never get promoted.
In some ways we are definitely impacted by the people we surround ourselves with. At the same time, being friendly and respectful of everyone is our responsibility as human beings. Mary is one of the humans working to bring that word back into the workplace, and she knew when she heard that advice coming from her supervisor's mouth, that she must be true to herself if she wanted to look in the mirror and be okay with what she saw there.
What are you doing as a leader or manager that you learned from another leader or manager? Are those good lessons? Are you emulating the things you disliked about a manager or supervisor? Will you make the effort to do things differently, now that you recognize the patterns?
Mary Schaefer's passion for improving relationships among team members is demonstrated by the success she has had in increasing employee engagement, productivity, and efficiency with her clients.
Mary Schaefer, SHRM-CP, PHR loves helping people at work to get along better, enjoy their work more, develop, succeed and thrive. Visit her company website, Artemis Path, Inc. to learn more.
Please connect with her on LinkedIn to learn more about what she does to improve relationships among team members.
You Think You're A Good Manager?
His supervisor told him that unless he could turn around his team's attitude, he was likely to lose his supervisory role, and that did not bode well for his career aspirations.
Try a New Tactic: Stories to Improve Management Skills
Joe thought he was a pretty good manager. His team was productive and they were hitting deadlines. But then his supervisor pulled him aside to let him know his team had complained about him. He knew there was some tension there, but he didn't know it was serious enough to warrant this discussion. His supervisor told him that unless he could turn around his team's attitude, he was likely to lose his supervisory role, and that did not bode well for his career aspirations.
Instead of being defensive and angry, before he stepped into his meeting with the team, he decided to try something completely different, though it seemed silly when he read this technique in a book about applying Akido lessons to other parts of life.
Not only did his new technique work, he turned that situation completely around.
In this episode of Your Stories Don't Define You, you'll hear his story, and the lessons he learned from the experience. You'll learn the techniques he used not only to diffuse the confrontation, but to change his mindset about the others in the room.
Your employees don't always have to like you, but they do have to know you respect them and trust them to do their work. If you don't, that's an entirely different management issue.
Joe Kwon is the future author of My Cheesy Self-Help Book, which will reveal how finding the flow between our energy and the energy of those around us will help to cut through life's challenges.
He's also an attorney, Aikidoka and shameless consumer of self-help books. He's passionate about coaching and mentoring on career advancement, public speaking, and leadership principles.
You can learn more about his sparkling personality and entertaining communication style of coaching on his website, and be sure to connect with him on LinkedIn.
Micromanagers Inspire You... to Quit
Cheryl Snapp Conner | Your Stories Don't Define You | Episode 1
What stories from your past became pivotal moments as you look back at them?
I had the opportunity to visit with Cheryl Snapp Conner about a difficult boss she encountered early in her career. That experience drove her to try something completely surprising to her - she left the company to start her own business.
Listen to the podcast to hear the lessons she learned in the situation, and to sit in on the conversation about how this story has impacted how Cheryl sees herself today.
Want to learn more about Cheryl and her stories? Visit her company website: Snapp Conner PR, or follow her on LinkedIn.