A leadership development resource
from the Institute for Leadership Excellence & Development Inc.
Volume VII
Number 3
On the Horizon This Issue:
The Finger in Your Face
You never know when you'll come face-to-face with conflict. Be prepared.
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Introducing the Leadership Fast Track Program
Learn about this unique opportunity to
accelerate your ability to lead.
Card Corner: Showing That You
Care
Check out this story showing again that
Send Out Cards is an easy-to-use, inexpensive way to make a difference,
build relationships, and even make money.
New from Andy Kaufman
Did you read or hear about Rhonda
Byrne's best-seller The Secret? Wonder if the "Law of Attraction" is
true? How do you know if it is or isn't?
Click here to check out Andy's new book Shining the Light on The
Secret.
[Finger in Your Face] [Special Offer] [Fast Track] [Card Corner] [The Institute Online]
Responding to the Finger in Your Face
by Andy Kaufman
Words: 639
Estimated reading time: <2 minutes
Finally. A taxi sees me trying to get his attention. My wife and
three young children cram
into the backseat while I sit up front. The warmth of the taxi is a welcome
contrast to the chill outside on this frosty night in Boston.
But that’s where the warmth ended. The driver was in a heated cell phone discussion in a language I didn’t understand. I told him “Hampton Inn on Monsignor O’Brien”, wondering if he caught the address. He must have because he hit the gas and we were off.
I think to myself, “Well, I guess you don’t take a taxi for customer service!"
Whether at work or at home or in a taxi in Boston, conflict has this annoying way of finding us.
Soon the scenery appears as foreign as the phone conversation that is still raging. I’m just familiar enough with Boston to recognize we were heading toward the airport and away from where we needed to go.
I attempt to get the drivers attention. “Excuse me.”
The driver pauses his conversation long enough to mutter in broken English, “Hampton Inn?”
“Yes” I reply. “The one on Monsignor O’Brien Highway.”
He could have responded, “Oops. My bad. I’ll get you there in a flash.” Or I could have handled, “Oh, I misunderstood you. I’m sorry.”
But no. He accusingly waves his finger in my face, “No! You said Hampton Inn at the airport!”
Conflict.
Whether at work or at home or in a taxi in Boston, conflict has this annoying way
of finding us, sometimes when we least expect it. We don’t have to like
dealing with it, but when conflict hits, it helps to have some tools at your
disposal to navigate through it successfully.
How would you respond to the taxi driver? In our Beyond the Rock and the Hard Place workshop, we identify 5 Conflict Handling Modes.
A Competing style would wag a finger right back in the driver’s face. “Hey, bucko! If you didn’t have that phone plastered to your ear you would have clearly heard me say the correct address! Hang up and drive, and by the way, you’re not getting paid for your screw up!”
The Avoiding style probably wouldn’t have spoken up at all, or rationalized “Maybe he’s just taking the scenic route!” The Accommodating style might have apologized, “I’m sorry for not speaking clearly. You’re right.”
Once at the wrong hotel, either of these styles might just pay the guy and then hire another taxi to get home rather than have a conflict discussion.
The Collaborating style would look for a full win-win. “We clearly have a misunderstanding. Let's brainstorm some ideas to resolve this problem.” A Compromising approach might take parts of each of these.
Do you recognize your natural response in these examples? In our workshops we help you match the appropriate style with a particular situation.
As it turns out, our natural style might just make things worse!
Taking Action
Want to become more confident in conflict situations? Here are my recommendations:
-
Get expert insight. Click here to learn about our e-learning program called Beyond the Rock and the Hard Place: How to Deal with Conflict More Effectively. Get the confidence you need to deal with conflict more effectively. Don't miss the special offer below.
-
Learn more about you. Click here to take our online conflict assessment. Learn which styles you over (and under) rely on. Better yet, have your team members take it as well. You will get insights to help your team be more effective.
- Join the conversation on our blog. Click here to learn how I responded to the taxi driver and how it turned out.
We can help you more successfully navigate conflict with confidence. I look forward to helping you.
To your
success,
Andy Kaufman
Speaker, Author, Consultant
President, Institute for Leadership Excellence & Development Inc.
What if your entire team--even organization--could manage conflict more effectively? What difference would that make when it comes to employee satisfaction, managing scope creep, and customer service?
Don't miss this offer! Between now and April 14, 2008, we've reduced the site license of our Beyond the Rock and the Hard Place e-learning offering by $1,000USD.
The normal price of $2,995 was already a great deal: less than the price of an in-house workshop.
But now your entire team or your entire organization can get access to the learning for $1,000 less, if you buy between now and April 14, 2008.
Click here today to learn more!
Accelerate Your Ability To Lead
Deep down, haven't you wondered why some people get promoted or realize more success while others don't? You've seen friends and colleagues with no more expertise than you get promoted and take on more responsibility.
So what is their secret?
Well, it's not one secret. It's at least eight secrets. The bottom-line: they invest in themselves and the people around them. They take responsibility for their own development instead of waiting for their boss or HR to do it for them. They invest the time even when they don't seem to have it because it's that important.
Introducing the Leadership Fast Track Program
Our Leadership Fast Track Program is designed for business professionals who want to accelerate their ability to lead their teams, influence others, and deliver results. We will turbo charge your ability to lead with confidence, take focused action, and achieve the results you desire.
The format is simple, yet effective. Every 3-4 weeks, for eight sessions, you'll join other Leadership Fast Track Program participants on a 1˝ to 2 hour web conference. All sessions are recorded so if you miss one, you'll be able to listen to them online or on your mp3 player when it fits your schedule.
Do you have to increasingly influence without authority? Do you have more work to do than time to do it? Do you need to find ways to get your team more engaged and develop the people around you?
Accelerate Your Ability to Lead
The Leadership Fast Track Program is designed to accelerate your ability to handle these and many more realities of today's business environment.
The program starts in June. Register by July 14 and save. Click here to learn more.
Card Corner: Showing That You Care
Send Out Cards is an easy-to-use, inexpensive way to encourage people, build relationships, and even make money. On average I send no less than 2-3 cards each day to say Thank You, Happy Birthday, Nice to Meet You, Hang in There, I'm Praying for You, etc.
A friend from Germany was so surprised to receive a birthday card from us that she had to send a Thank You card back! In her broken English she said,
Thank you very much for the big surprise to
my birthday. I'm really happy about your letter!
She went on to share how their family is doing--an extremely warm response to a simple step we took to show that we care.
Whether you use it for business, personal, or both, what are you waiting for? Try it out today! In fact, you can send a card for free, on me. Click here, then click on the banner with the moving arrow. The system will walk you through sending a card.
Better yet, contact me and I'll personally walk you through the system. Send Out Cards can turn your good intentions into reality.
Stay in Touch!
Horizon Time is written by Andy Kaufman and is available via e-mail or on the Web for all who register. You are invited to forward this to anyone interested in growing their leadership skills!
If you have any difficulty with the hyperlinks in this newsletter, you can view it online at:
http://www.i-leadonline.com/newsletter/0803.htm.
You can access past issues of Horizon Time by visiting www.i-leadonline.com/NewsletterIndex.asp.
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For more information on Andy Kaufman and the Institute for Leadership Excellence & Development Inc., please visit our web site.
You can contact Andy by phone toll-free at (866) 88 I-LEAD (866-884-5323), or by e-mail at andy@i-leadonline.com.
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