Category Archives: Articles

The Connection between Style, Productivity, & Morale: Why it is Essential to Understand and Respond to Different Styles

How often do you get frustrated or upset as a result of how others have delivered their message or treated you? What about the times you’ve tried to communicate your point, but just don’t seem to get through to your audience? What’s the price you’ve paid for these disconnects in communications? How has it affected relationships and collaboration? What would be the benefit if it improved?

Anyone who has ever worked with others knows people approach situations differently. At times, these differences can create fresh perspectives, balance, and innovative solutions. Understanding personal style, and acting on that knowledge, can lead to improved performance, productivity, and morale.

Unfortunately, the converse can also be true. Often the differences in style lead to misunderstanding, mistrust, and frustration. This can then lead to lowered productivity and undesirable outcomes. Consider the following short (true) example:

I was requested by a client to coach an employee who was “having issues” with a team mate. As I sat down with the employee, something immediately became obvious… he was a matter of fact, direct, results driven guy. He acted quickly in an effort to hit his goals. His team mate, on the other hand, was relatively quiet, less direct, and seemed to take the words and actions very personally.

May not seem a big issue, but in this instance, they were required to collaborate on business opportunities. The bottom line… misinterpretations of styles and lack of insight into how to work with one another drove the two apart and cost the organization a deal worth more than $1M.

While this scenario might be extreme, conflicts, difficulty communicating with others, and less than optimal working relationships, are an everyday occurrence.

Your ability to understand your own characteristics/style, as well as those around you, can help you:

1. Identify personal tendencies

2. Adapt for improved communications and interpersonal relationships

3. Effectively meet the needs of yourself and others

4. Understand and respond to information and interactions more appropriately

5. Get things accomplished!

For many of us, it’s likely that you’ve been using information about social style on an intuitive level for many years. Formalizing that understanding is a next step to taking actions.

_________________________________________________________________________

Author: Sue Cooney

Check out Sue’s upcoming Webinar – “Foundations of Style: Behavior and the Bottom Line“ – premiering November 19, 2009 at 2PM (EST)

Professional Development in a Technological Age

Has your training budget been red-lined? Most companies, schools and non-profits are looking at their training and travel budgets and wonder what happened.

E-Learning and software available today makes it possible to deliver on-site employee training programs more cost-effective than face2face training. Company of Experts.net has the expertise to deliver, great software and outstanding content to engage employees at a time that works for employees and for organizations.

Whether you have cut back or cut out your professional development programs – you may be left wondering how do I effectively manage now? Lack of quality professional development training can be a serious and expensive problem. One direct and immediate impact may be the high cost of turnover and the cost of recruiting and retraining new employees now replaces the fund used to train and maintain your current talent.

With curriculum designed for adult learners delivered on-line in real-time or at the employees and the organizations schedule with outstanding facilitators, the learning is timely, effective and cost-efficient. In this new era we are all required to do more and to be more independent, communicate with people in other parts of the globe and be part of the “team”. Our programs include time management, communication, customer service, motivating employees, appreciating culture.

Can soft skills really save money? How much time do you spend with the same employees going over the same or similar issues. Perhaps these employees are great “technically” but are their interpersonal relationships slowing down productivity? Smart companies are taking advantage of the new professional development opportunities appealing to their employees desire to increase their knowledge, skills and ability to improve their working relationships.

Company of Experts has a solid set of workshops and webinars online and we can customize your professional development program for you.

New Department Chair – You’ve Got the Stuff!

A quick Google search and I found many hits for department chair. Most of these “hits” were job descriptions from a number of colleges and universities. Most start job descriptions include the statement. “The position of Chair is important and one of the most difficult in any college environment.” If you are a Department Chair this is no surprise.

Some chairs are elected and others appointed and the job comes with built in term limits. What is certain is that many are unprepared for the move from greatest educator in the classroom to the new role of go between.

Reading some of the job descriptions is like reading the script for a CBS show titled CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Only a forensic sleuth could wind their way through these job descriptions and know how it happened and who did it before big reveal.

The Chair position is one of great importance and sounds impressive to the lay person. To the Chair, it is a personal journey of participation and excitement as well as the opportunity to develop leadership skills. Neither faculty nor management, the department chairs that I have known usually share the feeling of being overwhelmed.

Our new Show DCI: Department Chair Institute

Solving the impossible

Scene of the Crime

Our gullible and innocent faculty member is either selected or elected to the position of Department Chair. The DC is an honor as the faculty member is recognized and respected by their peers and the college leadership. This is a spring rite of passage for the new chair. They are welcomed into the new position. Their friends and family are so excited that they have been recognized for their hard work. It is a glorious time of excitement for the New Year. As graduation fades and the faculty begin their summer journey, the new chair realizes that summer for them is no longer a time of renewal, of travel, no opportunity to learn, to research or to write. This is the time for scheduling classes, hiring faculty, and there is usually a budget to begin to understand and maybe, just maybe program review or accreditation responsibilities.

The Investigation Begins

From an actual job description found on the web “The Dean ….will listen sympathetically to suggestions about such [training] opportunities. This is a major shift in the drama. The new chair isn’t automatically provided training to do their job? How, What and Who?

From the start, this DC will identify the evidence at the scene of the crime (no budget), hit the high tech lab (also known as business services) and apply the most scientific techniques used today by DC’s to crack this case also known as building a team. This is definitely for someone who likes to learn on the job.

Communication
Motivation
Hiring Faculty
Managing Time

The Finale

I will admit that I have never been a chair but I have worked with Department Chairs for nearly 30 years. My knowledge comes from these department chairs as well as those who have attended the Department Chair Institute. All good employees who wanted to do a service for the college.

Cash For Clunkers Concept

Cash for Clunkers, what a concept. What do you do when you feel like a clunker? Too many miles? Need a new paint job? Maybe the clutch is a bit worn? No government bail out here – how did I get left out? The truth is, you can be your own stimulus plan and perhaps it maybe a requirement for our times. You have that power, that ability to regenerate your energy and revitalize your attitude and your life.

We live in interesting time, and the world is changing faster than we could ever imagined a decade ago. Now more than ever, it’s so important for us to stay focused on our own positive vibes so that we may achieve our individual goals. If times seem dark and dreary, turn your vision toward a successful and fulfilled future. We are each powerful humans with the ability to generate the energy to fuel our personal engines and fire all those cylinders.

Emails, twitter, the evening new and negative images and words that conjure even more negativity. It is enough to make a person feel down. The repetition of negativity bears down on our subconscious and leads to feeling as though we are powerless. Depression is a medical issue and anyone can become depressed. If you are depressed, please seek out professional guidance. Don’t be fearful of asking for help. There is a vast support system out there to assist you.

I feel so fortunate to work with people who are seeking out new and energized ways to improve their personal happiness and the well-being of others. Some of what I have learned from so many has been that improving our attitude is a first step toward being happier and healthier. We have that individual power to change our perception and our reality. By focusing on what we want more of for our future – creating a positive mindset. Changing you view is possible by becoming the CEO of Organization ME. Lead yourself through the tough times with compassion, energy and a view of all is possible.

Some simple steps that have been shared with me can and I now share them with you:

Spend some time reflecting each day – five minutes. Lack of sleep can make it hard to focus. Before bedtime, think about one or two good things that happened that day. Filling your mind with what made you smile or laugh during that day may just make it easier for you to relax and get a good night’s sleep.
Begin to watch the words you and others use. Focus your questions to be positive. Example: Instead of, “Why am I always late?” ask yourself, “What meetings, events, or appointments are so important to me so that I am on time for them?”
Searching for solutions will make you open to new ideas – be creative.
Be your own advocate: circumstances beyond your control may place you in an uncomfortable situation and may cause you to feel exhausted and out of control. Champion your cause, solving problems and making decisions to overcome what may feel like an obstacle can improve your well-being.
Celebrate life everyday! Make a conscious choice to be appreciative and embrace the love and lives around you.

Organizational Change Beginning with Stakeholders

How has the economic shift impacted your organization, your culture and your employees? With the significant changes in the world, is there any organization that has not had to make major changes in how they operate? Whether private or public, how our organizations work and how we determine success has changed. We have seen and heard of a lack of accountability in key financial areas with the integrity of important people or organizations being called into question. The level of accountability is even higher for organizations. Most organizations will look more at facilities, money and lose focus on their most valuable resources – their employees. Organizations are required to more with less. How do they do this while gaining commitment from employees who are looking for a work-life balance? How do we bring together employee and the organizations need with an eye to the return ratio?

Working with a large organization recently, I heard from several people that they operate in silos. Like so many organization, this one is at a cross roads, the status quo has been challenged. This organization has the opportunity to create a new future, if they pick up the challenge and engage in successful initiatives.

There is sound evidence that our happiness is directly linked to our psychological and physical well-being. The mid-century view from Maslow was “The science of psychology has been far more successful on the negative than on the positive side. It is as if psychology has voluntarily restricted itself to only half its rightful jurisdiction, and that, the darker, meaner half (Maslow, 1954, p. 354).” This century the focus is the understanding of human emotion and how positive psychology contributes to health and happiness. And in true scientific fashion, there is debate on what this means and what is the value, if any, of positive psychology.

Most organizations are still operating with the 1954 model! How organizations treat their stakeholders, how they engage dialogue during any change initiative determines the outcome of such an adventure. In the 2006 issue of The Journal of Positive Psychology, the authors challenged their peers. They laid out a plan for current and future psychologists to assess, to respond to and to potentially find applications within their practice. They brought in the stakeholders!

This change in psychology can be compared to the change within an organization, that it is inevitable and that the people in charge of such change have competence, legitimacy and passion for leading that change.

Working with individuals and organizations looking to Appreciative Inquiry for positive change we are now challenged to dig deeper into how change occurs within organization. We have experienced the high of a simple training exercise or full scale summit using AI. The energy and the employee engagement for change is there and it’s glorious and they are ready to take off. Does this excitement realize actual lasting change in organizational culture? Because the energy is there, the passion is highlighted, the shared values are expressed and open commitments are made, many people think this is it. That our work is done for this project is done. One day and that energy is now on auto-drive. The work indeed, is just beginning. The generative value of AI and how we maximize that value is crucial. Gervase Bushe in his research has found that this AI’s real power is in the ability to focus on the preferred future. He states “Rather than planning and controlling, leadership needs to look for any and all acts that move the organization in the desired direction and find ways to support and amplify those efforts. I call this tracking (looking for where what you want more of already exists) and fanning (adding oxygen to a small fire to create a blaze)” Bushe, OD Practitioner, Vol. 39, No. 4, pp30-35, 2007).

Change begins with employees and other stakeholders. Engaging employees in the Company story, finding what makes them happy and fills them with gratitude.

The organization noted earlier in this paper will need to gain commitment from their employees to create a silo-less culture. How they begin this inquiry is crucial. What do the employees see as their preferred future? By focusing on the positive does not mean that you do not evaluate problems and take any actions necessary to fix them. To understand what gives employees gratitude, appreciation and happiness you focus on what they want more of? How can we do things differently? What actions will employees commit to?

Organizations that succeed know that it is not about the perks – it’s about the culture. These organizations support the whole person and the whole person is engaged in the organization. The organization is seen by employees and clients as a community. Developing this type of organization is not a linear process but rather a meandering path that may have a few bumps along the way. Some tips for this organization and others who are seeking change:

Look at your culture: Do your employees live the culture? Do they have a belief in the organizational mission? Does the organization operate with integrity? Is learning valued in the organization?

Is there an emphasis on your most valuable asset – your employees? How is the whole balance of the employee viewed? Is management top-down? Flat? Does top management model the organizations values?

Are employees and stakeholders proud of the organizational mission? Does the mission speak of integrity, value and empowerment?

Organizations may or may not have the ability or skills to evaluate their effectiveness and their readiness for change. They may need advice on change management or how to facilitate dialogue through these changes by an experienced facilitator with a strong background in traditional organization development and Appreciative Inquiry. “AI can be generative in a number of ways. It is the quest for new ideas, images, theories and models that liberate our collective aspirations, alter the social construction of reality and, in the process, make available decisions and actions that weren’t available or didn’t occur to us” (Bushe).

Resource: http://www.gervasebushe.ca/AI_pos.pdf

Employee Training Leads to Competitive Advantage

stats-from-coe-presentation1 The quality of employees and their skills acquired through education and training are key components in determining the long-term profitability of organizations. Wise organizations invest in the development and skills of their employees – both new and current – by delivering high-quality training programs that will increase the overall efficiency and productivity of the company. Organizations are turning to online training to maintain their competitive edge in today’s market. At the end of 2008, the American Society of Trainers and Developers (ASTD) reported on this current trend – see how your company compares in the blue chart in this article.

Online learning is becoming increasingly popular in recent years. There are several advantages to employee development and training online. One advantage to online training is the cost savings. Organizations that utilize online learning as a method for training can greatly reduce their overhead costs by cutting the delivery costs, time, and expenses incurred in travel and training. Organizations that invest in training their employees can accrue additional cost savings through a reduction in employee turnover, employee downtime, the need for supervision, increased staff productivity, reduced customer support calls, etc.

When scheduling face to face trainings, scheduling a time and place for all employees to attend is virtually impossible, especially when factoring in time zones. Conducting training online provides the flexibility and convenience needed in today’s fast-paced workforce. Employees participating in online training do not have to be taken out of the field or office for training, allowing organizations to maintain their level of productivity. Employees can take their training programs during down time at work or at home – allowing employees to focus on their duties while still participating in exceptional training.

Utilizing the Internet to attend trainings, not only provides learners with the flexibility to participate in training at a time that’s convenient for them, but also allows them to proceed at a pace that matches their individual learning style. Because training materials, resources, comments, and discussions are accessible 24 hours a day 7 days a week, learners are able to read and re-read material at a pace that’s comfortable for them. Having time to fully comprehend the material allows learners to think about what they want to say in their comments; this generates great dialogue and increases the level of learning amongst the participants.

There are no geographical barriers to online learning. Learning becomes an exploration as learners use the Internet to retrieve an assortment of articles, books, blogs, etc. that contain information not available to them where they live of work. This expands the learner’s knowledge base and offers them hands-on experience in 21^st century tools. Increasing the knowledge, skills, and quality of your employees are key factors in determining your organization’s long-term profitability and sustainability. Investing in your employees, new and current, through training/development will cultivate a greater sense of dignity and self-worth which can transcend into improved work ethics. It also offers employees a sense of satisfaction through the achievement of personal, career, and company goals.

———————————————————————————————————————————-

Resources

Coleman, Stephanie. “Why Do Students Like Online Learning.” World Wide Learn. Web. 10 Aug. 2009. <http://www.worldwidelearn.com/education-articles/benefits-of-online-learning.htm>.

“Employee Training and Development.” BizMove.com. Web. 10 Aug. 2009. <http://www.bizmove.com/personnel/m4d.htm>.

Gormandy White, Mary. “Advantages of Online Learning for Corporate Training.” Associatedcontent.com. Web. 10 Aug. 2009. <http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/304058/advantages_of_online_learning_for_corporate.html?cat=55>.

Quinn, Paul. “Online Training Needs Analysis.” TrainingNeedsAnalysis.com.au. 2006. Web. 10 Aug. 2009. <http://www.trainingneedsanalysis.com.au/Online-Training-Needs-Analysis.htm>.

Be Irreplaceable at Work

One can debate whether or not we are moving out of a recession; however, one thing that is certain – our current economy is centered on cutting costs. 85 to 90 percent of a business’ operating costs are comprised of labor expenses. As a result, companies minimize these costs by laying off employees.

For the workers that remain, job security is of great concern to them. Learn how to become indispensible at work. Below are some tips to build your personal strategic plan and maximize your value on the job:

Brand Yourself

One of the best preventive ways to ensure you survive company downsizing is to create and market “your brand.” Branding yourself is crucial when developing your personal strategic plan. The first step in creating your brand is reflection. Take time to define who you are and who you aren’t. Ask yourself questions like, “What sets me apart from my coworkers?” “Am I reliable?” “Do people see me as trustworthy?” “Am I known for being responsible or a multi-tasker?” Write these attributes down.

Now that you have taken time to define yourself, use the adjectives or phrases that identify you and begin to live them. We live in a culture that is flooded with distractions; we are texting our friends, tweeting what we had for lunch, juggling emails, and updating our Facebook page. Amidst the onslaught of media and barrage of white noise, individuals that brand themselves and attract attention for their admirable characteristics (i.e. great listener, dependability) will have a decided advantage.

Be Excellent

Do you know what the biggest difference is between replaceable and irreplaceable employees? The answer is the employee’s willingness to go “above and beyond”. The work you produce should be excellent, not subpar. Never assume that someone else will pick up the slack. In times of downsizing, individuals will be proactive and will be looking out for their best interest. To be truly irreplaceable, you want to be the first person your boss turns to when he or she wants something done right the first time.

Take the Lead

Volunteer to take on new assignments and responsibilities that you are interested in or see being neglected. Taking the initiative increases your workplace participation and will put you far ahead of the competition and may earn you a job promotion or increase in pay. When taking on additional assignments and responsibilities, make sure they align with the company’s business strategy and whose outcomes will make a genuine difference within the company.

Honor Your Commitments

Prove that you are reliable. If you say that you are going to do something, you want your supervisors and your coworkers to know that they have nothing to worry about. It’s important to always inform others of what you are thinking, what you are doing, and what you have done. If you are unable to deliver what you promised, for whatever reason, it’s important that you communicate that to the stakeholders involved as soon as possible. Take ownership of all of your responsibilities. Luke Kreinberg, a career coach with San Francisco’s Work In Progress said, “You might disappoint, but if you take ownership for things that go wrong as well as things that go right, you will only strengthen the sense that people can trust in you.”

Be Positive

Attitude is everything. If you constantly berate yourself with negative thoughts or fear of failure, your actions will begin to reflect what you think or feel. Project confidence, enthusiasm, and optimism in the work or projects you work on. You will notice that people interact and respond well to individuals who display positive and enthusiastic attitudes and will become contagious. If you ever feel overwhelmed or stressed, just take a deep breath and think of all the things you have to be grateful for. Positive outlooks correlate with increases productivity and efficiency within the workplace.

Learn to Adapt

We mentioned earlier that employers are looking for employees that go above and beyond their job description. If someone asks you to do something that you don’t think is your responsibility, do it anyways. Never say “that’s not my job”. This will not resonate well with anyone and will prevent any chances for you to grow in the company. When asked to do something, perform the task with pride. Consider everything you do to be valuable to the company – regardless if the task is or isn’t part of your job description.

Understanding Company Politics

Being sucked into company politics can be like playing with fire; however, if done correctly can be a strategic career move. When you are at work, look around and observe the dynamics in your environment. Ask yourself, “Who’s respected?” “Who’s not taken seriously?” “Who’s connected?” Try to immerse yourself in the culture of the fast-trackers at work. Emulate their actions, such as: arriving to work early, asking questions, volunteering for projects, etc. A great way to grow and succeed in a company is to hook up with the winners who are climbing their way up the corporate ladder.

Know Your Market

Demonstrate interest in your work. Companies often seek input from their employees and may offer bonuses to individuals who submit great ideas. It’s important that you know your company’s competitive advantages in relation to its competitors and be aware of any upcoming trends in your company’s industry. Knowing this information will allow you to generate ideas that may make your company more efficient, profitable, and competitive. Reading newspapers, blogs, magazines, trade publications, etc. is a great way to learn of what’s going on in your company’s industry. We also suggest signing up for industry-specific websites; many of them email newsletters that contain articles that may be relevant to your job, your company, the industry, etc. Social networking sites also prove to be a useful tool in researching industry trends. Social networking sites, like LinkedIn, a professional networking site, is a great place for professionals in all industries to learn and network from one another.

Demonstrate Leadership

Great leaders are irreplaceable, but what makes a great leader? Leadership is not a one-time decision, it’s an everyday discipline. Heard the saying, “practice what you preach”? As a leader, people will watch and evaluate how close your actions match your words. Leading by example will earn you the respect and loyalty of the people in your organization. A good leader also recognizes and gives praise to individuals whose performance aligns with that of your organization’s mission and values. Recognizing people’s accomplishments increases morale and sends a message to others about what you, your team, and your company deem important.

Demonstrate your leadership skills by volunteering to head projects – big or small. When you and your team are able to deliver exceptional results, it looks good to everyone that was involved in the project, especially the leader – you. When you are consistently successful at leading a team, you will have demonstrated to your boss that you have the charisma to foster individual growth and morale within your team.

Continue Learning

Invest in yourself and your career. In today’s rapidly changing environment, it’s important that you take the necessary steps to ensure that you will be irreplaceable in the future. As companies merge, management changes, everything is redefined – meaning you will have to quickly adapt, which may require skills that you don’t currently possess. Take time to identify key positions within your company – positions you feel would give you extra value in the company. Enroll in seminars, workshops, or trainings that will provide you new tools or skill sets. Increasing your portfolio of skills, as well as engaging in a broad-range of experiences, can be your strength and will increase your value within the company. As your skill sets grow, share what you have learned and become a viable contributor to your company.

Be an Effective Team Player

An effective team player encourages and motivates its team to success. Come to team meetings prepared with information, ideas, knowledge, and experience that will be beneficial to the team to get the project done. Being an active participant in team meetings will encourage others to contribute their own ideas and thoughts. During group discussion, it is important that you are able to receive criticism without becoming defensive. Practice active listening by acknowledging, comprehending, and considering thoughts and ideas of your team members without interrupting. To encourage good dialogue, a good rule of thumb is to listen first and speak second.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Resources

All Business: A D&B Company. Black Enterprise, 1 Jan. 1993. Web. 21 July 2009. <http://www.allbusiness.com/specialty-businesses/minority-owned-businesses/349520-1.html>.

Lindstrom, Martin. “How to Be Indispensible at Work.” Parade 12 July 2009: 14-15. Print.

“Ten Qualities of an Effective Team Player.” Dummies.com. Wiley Publishing, 2009. Web. 6 Aug. 2009. <http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/ten-qualities-of-an-effective-team-player.html>.

Ten Tips: Becoming a Better Leader. MindEdge Learning, 20 July 2007. Web. 24 July 2009. <http://leadership.atwork-network.com/2007/07/20/ten-tips-becoming-a-better-leader/>.

10 Ways to Become Indispensible at Work. Woman’s Day, 14 July 2008. Web. 21 July 2009. <http://www.womansday.com/layout/set/print/Content/Money/10-Ways-to-Become-Indispensable-at-Work>.

Bullying in the Workplace

conflict-management Bullies aren’t just found on the playground. As a society, we would like to think that when bullies grow up they have learned right from wrong, changed their behavior, and treat others with dignity and respect. Many do; however, some bullies never revert from their mean, aggressive behavior. As our society evolves, with its reliance on technology, many bullies are finding different means and different environments to continue their tyrant-like behavior.

Company of Experts was recently the target of a bully. The Company had an agreement with an independent contractor whose job would require minimal supervision/input from a few individuals via a weekly teleconference. Over the course of time, numerous issues began to surface. First, work submitted by this contractor was not completed, and in some cases, was never attempted. The blame was pushed upon the individuals this person worked with for reasons such as: “it was too much work,” “it wasn’t worth my time,” “no one asked me my opinion,” etc. Needless to say, not a lot of work was accomplished by this contractor. Individuals within the Company picked up the slack and worked long hours in order to meet project deadlines.

Second, the cost to finish this contractor’s projects continually increased. Not only was the Company paying the contractor’s salary, they were also paying the salary of the individuals that were taking on the contractor’s responsibilities. The contractor was originally hired because this individual possessed technical skill sets needed for specific projects. However, because the contractor was not doing their job, the Company was compelled to hire additional staff, who also possessed these skill sets, to complete projects that were neglected by the contractor.

Third, employees who worked with this contractor, and met via weekly teleconferences, were suffering from anxiety attacks prior to each meeting. When questioned as to what provoked these attacks, many answered that after each meeting they were assigned an extensive list of items/jobs by the contractor to complete before their next weekly meeting. They added that their “to do list” consisted of tasks that were part of the contractor’s responsibility; however, if they did not take it upon themselves to pick up the slack, the jobs would never get done. In addition, employees noted that if items on their list were not completed by the following teleconference meeting, the contractor would complain that the employees were not doing their job. As a result the contractor would say something to the effect of, “Well I can’t do my job if you don’t do yours.” Many employees would ignore other items/projects they were working on in order to complete the tasks that the contractor wanted done. The tension in the office was thick with worry that they would not finish their “to do list”.

Company of Experts determined it was in the best interest of the Company and its employees if they released the contractor. During this transition, the contractor was harassing employees via phone and email, inquiring the reasons for the contract termination. The Company notified the contractor to not contact their employees in any way, email or phone. The contractor retaliated and continued to harass employees and threatened harm to the Company and to the employees personally. When the Company released the contractor from service, they changed the usernames and passwords to the Company’s websites, newsletters, etc in fear that the contractor may try to “destroy” materials. Unfortunately, the Company forgot to remove the contractor from having access to the Company’s corporate blog and calendar. As a result, the contractor changed the username and password to these items, which prohibited Company access to these items, inevitably rendering them useless.

The cost in lost time due to stress, restoring damaged materials, documenting, researching our rights, defending the employees and the Company are great. Additional costs that can be incurred by companies that suffer at the hands of bullies are: increased cost of health insurance for employees, lost days at work, increased legal bills, talent turnover, etc. We think we are being polite by calling these individuals rude or difficult people, but these individuals are “Bullies”. Bullies (like the contractor in our story) create unhappy, unsafe, and unproductive work environments.

You may see several workshops titled “Dealing with Difficult People”. Company of Experts has refrained from developing any workshop with such a title. Is it rude, difficult, bullying, or harassing? Our online workshop “Managing Professional Relationships at Work” is a beginning to understand how others behave at work. The Company of Experts will address bullying at work in this workshop which is to begin in early September. Information regarding registration times, dates, curricula, etc. can be found by clicking here.

The Company wanted to become more aware of how to spot inappropriate, abusive behavior so as to protect itself and its employees. The Company began researching and uncovered several informative websites. One website, workplacebulling.org, had a startling statistic that read:

“A staggering 37% of the U.S. workforce is bullied at work (an estimated 54 million Americans).” This website lists the traits of individuals who are targeted by bullies:

Individuals targeted by bullies tend to be independent. The increased level of independence drives the bully’s need to control.
Individuals targeted have more social skills and are more likely to possess a high level of emotional intelligence (i.e. empathy – even for their bullies).
Targeted individuals also do not respond to aggression with aggression.

What Company of Expert has learned from this experience…

The conflict seems to be with the perception that people grow and develop as they age. We anticipate those who were Bullies in school will transition to adulthood recognizing that civility and courtesy are key factors to development and growth. In reality, they may have actually become more of a Bully, therefore, becoming someone who stalks, harasses, and commit crimes that they can be punished for. Still, other Bullies stay within the law. These type of bullies enjoy the attention they receive from their erratic actions.

The general response from legal consul is mediation. Unless, the person is violating the law, we look at both people as needing to be “fixed”. This puts the Bully and the Target on an equal playing field, which sounds like a good way to handle this. In fact, most employers and employees are not trained to handle this complex issue. Our research has found that some websites and books recommend that you combat the Bullies on their level. Like you do for a wild animal, you get “bigger” than they are; which is an interesting concept. However, the problem with this approach is that this is not team-friendly. Just because an employer removes a bully from the work environment does not mean that the bully won’t resurface in some way. As in our case, the bully retaliated and has continued to make efforts to harm and destroy the Company. Most HR departments and managers work to keep business flowing and maybe not be trained or have time to handle conflicts such as this. This leaves them feeling overworked and inefficient.

Resolving disagreements is difficult today for two reasons:

We are emotionally stressed because of the weak economy, world ecology and the potential of terrorists’ threats. This keeps people in reactive thinking which tends to close them off to creative resolution or to make them back away from engagement.
We simply do not have the tools to civilly and cooperatively achieve sustainable resolutions to the problems which arise in organizations.

Will we ever change the inappropriate behavior of bullies? Maybe not. Bullies usually do not listen, are aggressive, and do not understand appropriate social behavior. The decision is up to us. We either accept a bully’s inappropriate behavior or become proactive in taking the necessary steps to discontinue a business relationship. Extreme cases may require having to refer the matter to legal counsel.

Working for a living is a basic for most of us. We can learn job skills and earn degrees to get the job that we want. Keeping that job and finding happiness there requires that we each have the interpersonal (or intra personal?) behaviors that are complimentary to how we want to be treated, to our team, and to the Company we work for. This fits into the lifelong learning category. We can do this learning in many ways such as reading, mentoring, coaching, modeling (how we teach others and how they teach us – our actions and interactions!) and workshops. Company of Experts has developed terrific programs that can help you develop your leadership style. In this new society, we each are leaders of our future – the path we choose is up to us. For workshops and programs that we offer – Leadership Development Institute (LDI) and the Center for Appreciative Inquiry. The Department Chair Institute is specifically tailored for our educational partners.