ConceptsNest

Negotiation is an inherent part of influencing someone . In a work environment, it can be external negotiations, with a supplier or a client; or internal, with a boss, colleague or subordinate. But we must also negotiate with ourselves , be aware of instinctive reactions (psychological and physical) , in order to regulate them and respond consciously and appropriately to the circumstances so that we get the best result. All negotiations comprise two dimensions: The “substance,” meaning the subject matter or objective of the negotiation, and the “relationship,” i.e., the interaction or connection with the other person . We negotiate because we are looking to gain something or because the relationship with the other party is important. These two dimensions are always in play and under tension because the things we do to improve the substance—such as not making concessions—damage the relationship to a certain degree. Conversely, when we try to grow the relationship, decisions like be

The team meeting. A necessary evil, an exercise in wasting time, or our organization’s secret weapon? Sometimes we wonder why our one-on-one meetings tend to feel unfruitful. Stock questions might be effective once or twice. But when we ask them during every one-on-one, every week, and over time, the effectiveness of the questions erode. The person grows sick of answering the question. Or they do not think we really care to know the answer anymore. Before too long, they start looking at the clock, staring into the distance, and giving us those short, nondescript answers. To avoid this, we will want to avoid the routine questions we lean on. Some of them maybe: 01: “How’s it going?” It seems like a solid way to break the ice and initiate a one-on-one meeting. Yet it’s unusual that we ever get an answer other than “Fine” or “Good” in response. While someone might truly be fine and good in reality (which is great!)… the conversation usually stops there . Anything personal we wanted to

“ I need to figure out how to motivate my employees.”  When was the last time we thought that to ourselves? It could have been the other week when you noticed one of your direct reports dragging his feet on a project that’s critical to the company. Or, perhaps it was the other month when you felt frustrated that your team was not being proactive about addressing customer issues. We hear this sentiment of “how to motivate employees” frequently from managers we work with. We, as leaders, are not the only ones thinking this. Employees  themselves  admit that they do not feel as motivated at work as they would like. According to research, only 2 in 10 employees strongly agree that their performance is managed in a way that motivates them to do outstanding work.   However, this question of, “How to motivate my employees as a manager?” is a misguided one. It implies that motivation is something we  give  another person. That is patently false. Motivation is not a thing we give to peopl

How do we differentiate between needs and motives or motivations. ? How not to be ruled by feelings, habits, impulses, and thoughts.? Varieties of Motivation   One of the fundamental premises of the practice of Nonviolent Communication is that everything we do is an attempt to meet core human needs . Much can be said about what exactly counts as a need, and the difference between needs and the many strategies we employ in our attempts to meet them. There is no claim within this practice that we are all the same; only that we share the same core needs, and they serve as the only reason for us to do anything. If everything is motivated by one or more human needs, then why are we even talking about varieties of motivations? It’s because what varies is the degree of awareness we bring to the relationship between our needs and our actions. Our various cultures don’t generally cultivate in us the practice of knowing what we want . On the contrary, much of socialization is focuse

Daily stand-up meetings might be the quickest way to waste your time as a leader. As a manager, you’ve likely witnessed this first hand. Your daily stand-up meetings have become bloated and unengaging, the more time passes and the bigger your team grows. Should you be doing something different? And if so, what? The time to kill the daily stand-up meeting has come. Here’s exactly why and what we should do instead… Why Daily Stand-Up Meetings Do Not Always Work 01.   Many oars, too many directions: The original  intention  behind a daily stand-up meeting is extremely sound. Popularized by the  Agile methodology  of project management, daily stand-up meetings are meant to share progress and identify any blockers the team is facing . For the few teams who strictly adhere to only sharing status updates and blockers, a daily stand-up can serve them well. However, for most of us in practice, it’s a different story. We get overly excited and cram other intentions into our daily stand-u

  Now more than ever before, leaders all over the world are facing change and complexity — the coronavirus pandemic has presented us all with new challenges, new circumstances, and new uncertainties. Adaptability is a requirement. Because change is constant and inevitable, leaders must be flexible to succeed. Adaptability is about having ready access to a range of behaviours that enable leaders to shift and experiment as things change. Successful executives: 1)       Adapt to the changing external pressures facing the organization. 2)       Adjust their management style to changing situations. 3)       Accept changes as positive . 4)       Revise plans as necessary. 5)       Consider other people’s concerns during change. Conversely, it may also be argued that inflexible leaders limit the adaptability of others. New initiatives may be halted or stifled. Resistance to change may undermine critical projects or system-wide implementation. Employee enthusiasm, coope