Ivana Krcivoj
Self-leadership and Communication Coach at RECONNECTING
Hey, Iโm Ivana and I help corporate professionals fall in love with Mondays (again). Okay, romance aside - hereโs what that means in practice ๐ Itโs so easy to get caught up in daily...
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- Self-Leadership Skills: Cultivating personal responsibility in professionals
- Mindful Communication Strategies: Enhancing clarity and engagement in dialogues
- Energy Management Techniques: Boosting productivity through better energy control
- Transitioning with Confidence: Navigating career changes with ease
- Team Collaboration Improvement: Fostering effective working relationships within teams.
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Tricky Workplace Situation Handled
- ohh I would feel frustrated, so much misunderstandings :D the salesperson only followed their agenda, didn't even ask what they actually want and then offer the service/product based on customer needs.
- they mainly just follow (recite) their agenda. Most of the times I felt like they ask me questions I don't want them to ask :)
- We can lose existing and potential customers. And also we lose our professional confidence.
- Jeremy didn't start the conversation by asking the customer what they are interested in. The customer didn't feel noticed and heard, so this eventually caused frustration on both ends. Also, immediately suggesting high-end products doesn't sound like the best conversation starter.
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- Empathy, truly listening & understanding the customer's situation and needs are the keys to successful customer relations.
- the second email would be ideal because it has appreciative, respectful elements, including the invitation to find the solution together.
- Meaningful, empathetic, open communication is the key remedy for this situation. Quite often open & honest communication is neglected, because even if employees express their opinions, nothing (or almost nothing) is done in relation to that. So they start to feel ignored.
- In my previous workplace I think the main contribution to toxicity was too much workload, lack of recognition and effective feedback. What I did - first of all personal management (self-development), and then also I was volunteering in Employee Engagement programs, holding workshops on the topics of soft skills and psychological safety. And next to all that, I was kind, empathetic, supportive, positive.
- I would first invite the leader to self-reflect. To look at what he/she sees as toxic. How does it impact them personally, and what they see about the impact on the people. Then I would ask them what kind of environment they want to create. And then what they see as obstacles to get there. And from there we would move into finding the ideas to eliminate toxic work environment. Here I would also share some of my thoughts/tips/experiences, and ask what they think and how this fits into their situation.
- I see several steps in this process, and it starts from self-management. 1. Know & accept that it is OK that we don't get along well with everyone, it happens sometimes. And this situation also gives a great opportunity for self-reflection and learning what to improve in our soft skills. 2. Don't take it personally (or at least not too much personally :) - I know this step isn't easy, but it is good to be reminded of :) 3. Think of that person ALWAYS with respect. Even though you don't communicate well at the moment, and you have certain differences, the respect has to be there. When we feel respectful towards others, this shows up, it somehow radiates. 4. Separate the person from their behavior - for example: maybe you don't like their tone of voice, or how they interrupt when others speak, but that is just their behavior. Keep in mind to respect them as a person and as your colleague. No matter what. And it is okay to disagree with how they behave/communicate. We can always gracefully disagree (as one of my wonderful coach-mentors said). These are the key elements from self-management part. Now a few things we can do in interaction with that person: 1. Ask the person for an open conversation, and share your honest thoughts about your communication and what you think could work better. Once you share, ALWAYS ask the person what they think about what you just said. Openness and honesty work beautifully, and most people will open up, even more than we think. Through this feedback conversation find common ways to improve communication. 2. Another option in case the feedback conversation is not fruitful (yeah, this can also happen) - continue to keep in mind to be respectful, professional, clear in your communication. I think that most of the times what happens in these situations - people loose patience and respect, and then from there it all goes downhill. Because by adding more negative thoughts & emotions to this situation, it becomes worse to handle and the tension gets bigger. Hope this is helpful :)
- The other person is not willing to communicate at the moment, even though I tried to reach out and start a conversation several times.
- The most important is to be in integrity and truly respect the other person - simply appreciate them as a human being. This energy radiates and can help you and others to feel better.
