Take Control of Office Whining

Conflict Management - - -

Few things are more annoying than whining co-workers. They constantly point out problems but never act to improve the situation.

To make matters worse, their negative attitudes can have a serious effect on the morale and productivity of those around them.

To minimize whining:

• Start with yourself. It’s difficult to see ourselves as whiners, because we believe all of our own complaints are well-founded. Before you let yourself off the hook, keep a written log of your complaints for 30 days. See if a pattern develops. Did you fix any of the complaints or were you simply letting off steam? There’s nothing wrong with a little of the latter, as long as it doesn’t get out of hand.

• Don’t dismiss the whining too quickly. There’s a strong possibility that a trivial complaint could be a cover-up for a real problem. If there’s something you can do to resolve the complaint, do it. If the subject of the whining can’t be fixed, ask whiners to come up with solutions to problems that can be corrected.

• Listen carefully. Give whiners a few minutes to vent. They may be simply trying to relieve tensions. As they unburden to a sympathetic ear, they frequently come to realize that the matter is really only a small annoyance. The result is that whiners talk themselves right out of the gripe.

• Keep your composure. If you lose your temper or show hostility, the whiner may respond in kind. A heated argument will only worsen the situation.

Source: Barbara Bartocci, Bbartocci@aol.com

Is branding related to change management?

The brand is something with which you label or mark the change. People will wind up grading and making an assessment of the change and applying it to the brand. If the change is bad and you need to change from that to a new status quo, the brand will need to be changed at that point, also, since they are now linked.

Get a Helping Hand

When you’re looking for a word, using your hands may help jog your memory, according to a study in the American Journal of Psychology.

Researchers found that people who held onto a bar to keep hands still had more trouble thinking of complex words than those who were allowed to move their hands freely.

So the next time you’re tongue-tied, go ahead and gesture – a few hand waves may take you a long way.

Source: Fitness, 212-499-1569.

Can an introverted leader see what others leaders don´t see?

A couple of thoughts: Introverts don't necessarily look and listen better than extroverts, which will help them see and hear what other leaders don't. Unfortunately, Introverts may have filters just as much as an extrovert and the voices that limit visibility and hearing could be just as loud inside an introverts head as outside an extroverts head. However, an introvert with genuine care for the organization and people is very likely to see what other leaders don't. It turns out that "care" is the defining factor.