Does your business or at least some areas of it suffer from moaning, bitching & complaining?   If it does, these are all symptoms of low level conflict and they could be costing your business dearly.

Think about it for a moment.   What are the consequences of such behaviour – Poor customer service, low productivity, poor quality, and low staff morale to name but a few. So what is the cause of such conflict and what can you do about it?

The underlying causes of conflict
Ultimately I believe that conflict is caused by unmet needs.   Consider this scenario.  One of your staff is trying to get on and complete an important and urgent sales quotation whilst a colleague at a neighbouring desk is on the phone having a noisy and very lively chat.   The longer the distracting conversation goes on the more angry and frustrated the other person gets until finally they snap.   They get up, storm over to their neighbour’s desk and unplug their phone from the wall.   The ensuing argument halts all productivity and the tension and ill feeling can last for days if not weeks.

Clearly the quotation writer had a genuine need for peace and quiet to complete their document by the deadline and that need wasn’t being met.

Defusing conflict
In order to defuse such a conflict it is vital to acknowledge the unmet need before you try to find a solution.   Ignoring the underlying need will tend to cause the issue to escalate and that’s the last thing you want.   If you just ask the people involved to apologise to each other you may get compliance but the issue will continue to simmer and is likely to erupt again in the near future.  Empathy is a key skill here.

Resolving the conflict
Conflict can only truly be resolved when that unmet need is met.  In this situation it might mean that either the person on the phone agrees to make their calls outside or that the person writing the quotation can use another quiet office or perhaps even work from home.   In business you must take into account the needs of the business as well as the needs of the individual staff.  It may not always be possible to satisfy everyone’s individual needs completely but you may be able to do enough to eliminate most of the conflict.

Preventing conflict
Of course the ideal situation would be if you could prevent such conflicts from happening in the first place. For this to happen, the manager and their team must be open to and aware of each other’s needs.  Now this is perhaps the most difficult challenge.   Most people are not good at articulating their needs up front.  Walking round the office and just asking your staff “What are your needs” is unlikely to achieve much, at first anyway.   But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try to uncover what lies behind their apparently negative behaviour.    The best managers and leaders I have known have all invested time in getting curious about their people and in particular what they need individually to perform at their very best.   They understand that everyone is different and they are always curious about what makes their people tick.     The poorest managers assume that everyone needs the same things that they do and therefore they treat them accordingly.

Conclusion
Managing conflict in teams is not an exact science and the consequences of getting it wrong can be painful and expensive.  On the other hand, the benefits that comes from investing a little time and effort in understanding peoples underlying needs and then meeting those needs in tandem with those of the business can create amazing results and provide huge personal satisfaction.

Photo used under Creative Commons from David_Shankbone

Stories are incredibly important tools for communicating all sorts of information. I have been an “unconscious” story collector now for many years and as a trainer, these stories have been incredibly helpful to my participants in bringing the material I teach to life.

To be honest I tend to take them for granted because I use them without thinking but today their importance was drawn to my attention. It was the final presentations and feedback session from a class of managers who have been facilitating through a monthly series of leadership training modules.

 During the feedback I suddenly realised that stories were a key part of my USP and what makes my training so effective.  Not only do they help to make the topic relevant in the seminar, they also serve as memory hooks which help the participants retain their learning and then apply it in the real world  long after the course is over.

So, are you a story collector?    Do you capture and file away, either mentally or on paper, iconic stories that illustrate key principles.    Do you then weave those stories into your presentation, speaches, conversations and seminars?

If you don’t you are missing a trick!

Due to popular demand I am running two special open workshops in April 2008

Personal Productivity Secrets Workshop -Friday 4th April 2008
Our time is finite but the demands upon it are not.   More and more people like you are suffering from too much work abnd too little time syndrome.   If allowed to continue this results in stress, ineffectiveness, poor work/life balance and burnout.

If you have had enough, book a place on this course for just £167 plus Vat and learn how to regain control of your time. You’ll go away with a host of simple and practical life changing strategies.  If you think you are too busy to attend the course then you really do need to be there.   Places limited to 15 so book early (and receive an extra discount!)  See website for further details. 
www.inter-activ.co.uk/ppw

Confident Speaker and Networker – Thursday 24th April
If I had a pound for every poor business speaker I have heard, I’d be a very wealthy man.   How much are your nerves costing you?  How many prospective clients have you turned off with a poor presentation?   How many opportunities have you missed by being too scared to present at all?    Isn’t it time you did something about this irrational fear?

With a maximum limit of 8 people, you will get lots of personal and practical support whilst learning with others who are in a similar position.  You won’t believe the difference and day can make!  

Only £199+Vat  See our website for further details then book your place today!   www.inter-activ.co.uk/csn

Yes is now officially 2007 and all the excuses are over! It’s time to put those resolutions into practice. I assume that you are reading this blog at least partially because you want to change something in your life. Either you want to be a more confident presenter and public speaker or you want to sharpen up your selling and influencing skills – or perhaps both!

Well the good news is that you can! The bad news is that you will have to change!
There is an old saying that goes “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got!” Or to put it more positively, “If you want different results in your life you have to start doing something different!”

The $64000 question i hear you ask is What? Well that’s where this blog comes in. I will regulalry post practical proven tips that, if you put them into practice, will transform your life.

So here is the first sales tip for 2007:
Develop and Attitude of Boundless Curiousity!
Jep! That’s it. Think about it.

Imagine that every time you were speaking to a potential customer you got really curious and just had to know exactly what they wanted, why they wanted it, how they knew they wanted it? What would happen if they didn’t find a solution to their problem? What would happen when they did find a solution? How much that solution was worth to them? etc.etc.

If you knew all of that information BEFORE you started to talk about your product or service just imagine how much better placed you would be.

Keep watching for more tips and tricks throughout 2007!