02 Mar

Are people skills still relevant?

“The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood.” Ralph Nichols

We’ve all seen articles about technology. How fast advances are happening, how new innovations will help us in our daily lives. We hear the stories of amazing robotic achievements, advances in technology making life easier and even sometimes saving lives!

So with the focus on things like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality (AR), Machine Learning (ML) amongst other new acronyms on the radar…are people skills still relevant?

The importance of people skills

Most experts agree…people skills are essential workplace skills – now and especially in the future. Because technology can not successfully and totally replace people.

Empathy, collaboration, communication, innovation, problem solving, leadership…people skills.

So now more than ever it’s important to develop our people skills. Especially in organisations where team performance is critical for success. The skills of a team to communicate effectively, make joint decisions and act quickly are still important to ensuring results. The ability of workers – no matter what their role – to listen, demonstrate empathy, and ask great questions is still fundamental in delivering great customer service, as well as effective team collaboration.

A powerful people skill we all need in teams!

A skill that is essential in teams, is the ability to navigate tough discussions for a positive outcome. Yet so many managers I talk to dread or dislike these situations. Many actively avoid having the discussions that are most needed.

Tough discussions, difficult conversations – they are hard. Because emotions and important topics are involved. The stakes are high, and the emotions are high for each person involved.

To fine tune our people skills, we need to start talking about threat states and psychological safety. I believe that these aspects will become increasingly important for teams, as the pace of technological advances, global challenges, and population growth continues to impact.

Difficult conversations will always be in the workplace. Change and complexity will only make them more important, and potentially more frequent.

Frontline managers in particular need to be equipped to understand the complexities of human interactions, and how they can impact their team’s culture and performance through their people skills. The ability to have productive conversations around difficult topics is an essential people skill.

The old way of managing – the authoritarian approach, some would call it – is not successful as it once might have been. And it won’t make tough discussions easier, that’s for sure!

People skills. Always relevant, and perhaps now, more so than ever.

What do you think?

engagingPOTENTIAL: facilitation, training, coaching, team development

Helping managers create extraordinary teams!

10 Jul

Can we make difficult conversations a little less difficult?

“The problem is not the content of your message, but the condition of the conversation.”

Crucial Conversations Paterson, Grenny, McMillan, Switzler

Our brain has been wired across the ages to protect us as individuals – it looks out for threats and aims to keep us safe. That works beautifully if we are in physical danger – if there is a fire for instance. It can work a little less effectively when we are having a discussion with someone and your brain goes on high alert – this can lead to emotional outbursts, sullenness or physical reactions.

We’ve all experienced conversations where we have felt threatened or ‘unsafe’. Sometimes it is an overt verbal attack that sets us on edge and sometimes it is a subtle comment, such as a criticism of our work. Many times the feeling of being in danger comes not from words, rather from someone’s non verbal actions – such as a raised eyebrow, a sarcastic smile, a threatening stance.

Once our brains detect a threat, the body prepares itself to flee, fight or freeze. As such, energy resources are diverted to areas of the body that are required to act in survival mode. That means that when we feel threatened, we may be approaching a difficult conversation with very little reserves left for rational thought and effective decision-making.

Complexity is added to our dwindling logical thinking ability if we are already under pressure (e.g. if we have to respond unexpectedly and spontaneously; or if we have other stressful issues impacting us) or we are uncertain (e.g. we haven’t dealt with this before).

What’s a manager or leader’s role in this?

As a manager and leader, if you want to get the best out of an interaction with another person, you need to consider the environment that you are creating. Do you make it safe?

Some of you may be thinking “Why do I need to make it safe when I might be correcting someone’s mistakes or poor performance?

Simply put, if you have the intent of supporting their improvement and enhancing their ability to achieve into the future, you will need to create an environment in which they can truly HEAR and UNDERSTAND your message. People are not so great at hearing things when their body and mind feels threatened – they are simply using their energy to ‘survive’ – by withdrawing, making excuses, redirecting blame, or fighting back.

How do you then, make it safe for someone? You obviously can’t control the way their mind works or their actions. All you can do is influence through your own behaviours and words.

How can managers and leaders help create a ‘safe’ environment?

Some ways to create a safe environment for others include:

  • Start with positive intent – what are you truly trying to achieve here and is it well intentioned? Does the outcome  you seek have benefit for all parties?
  • Plan well – do you know what outcome you are looking for? What should you say or do to achieve that outcome?
  • Determine where and when – ensure this is appropriate to the discussion
  • Frame it -provide context for the discussion and what you are trying to achieve
  • Reduce the personal – ensure this is not a discussion of accusation – for example, rather than “you did..” try “I’m concerned…
  • Allow space – seek input from the other person and allow space for them to process and understand what you are saying;
  • Breathe – remain calm, even if the other person is unsettled or emotive; if you mirror negative emotions, the situation will only deteriorate

Human interactions can seem fraught with danger. What will you do to make it safe for others and have productive discussions, even when the content is difficult?

engagingPOTENTIAL: facilitation, training, coaching, team development

Helping managers create extraordinary teams!

05 Apr

Making difficult conversations less difficult

“Method is not less requisite in ordinary conversation than in  writing, provided a man would talk to make himself understood.” – Joseph Addison

Ever put off having an important conversation because it all seemed too hard? Most of us have.

Having a difficult conversation at work is challenging, yet sometimes the impact of not having that discussion can be greater than putting it off. So what will make this all a little simpler and less daunting?

Preparation!

Ok, so planning the discussion won’t necessarily mean that it will be a breeze, however with a little preparation it can be easier and more productive. Every situation is different, so there is no ‘one size fits all’ formula for the planning of a difficult conversation – here are some suggestions that might help get you started.

Back to basics

  • Write down what it is that is of concern to you – this means that you will be focussed on the issue to discuss; writing it down helps ensure clarity
  • Try to look mostly at the facts of the situation (yet still acknowledge feelings of all parties so you are prepared to manage emotions!)

Conversation considerations

  • Ensure you are clear on what your objective is in having the conversation – what are you trying to achieve? how will you know if you have achieved your objective?
  • What will be your approach to the conversation – how will you start it? what are the main points that you want to get across? how will you seek the other person’s input?
  • Consider the best time and place to have the conversation

Reviewing risks

  • Think about what might go wrong in the discussion – forewarned is forearmed!
  • Consider how you will remain calm if things go wrong and what you might do to save the situation

These conversations are hard. They are often necessary. Make it a little easier by being prepared.

engagingPOTENTIAL: training, team development, coaching

Specialising in working with managers to develop extraordinary teams!

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