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...leveraging the strategic power of soft skills®
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Conflict at Work, Don't Take it
Personally
There isn't sign out front
of the building. There's no poster above a desk.
But, Dr. Patricia Wiklund says the signs that an organization, a business owner or manager has gotten off track are clear:
- Missing deadlines,
- Putting out fires rather than moving forward
- Problem people acting out
- Focusing on who's right rather than what's right
- Interdepartmental conflict
- Low energy
- Team work that isn't working.
Wiklund draws on over twenty years experience as a therapist and more than fifteen years as an organizational consultant, when she does the diagnosis.
She assesses both the personal and business impact of today's constantly changing work environment and escalating customer expectations.
"Getting off track doesn't mean you're incompetent, a poor leader, or a bad person, Wiklund says. "You've just gotten off track."
The first step in getting back, says Wiklund, author of Taking Charge When You're Not in Control, (Ballantine, 2000), is telling yourself the truth. Face up to the tough stuff, what isn't working and what is. How are you disappointing yourself and others? What can you change and what can't you?
"My job is to talk about the 'unmentionable,'" Wiklund says. "I want the issues out in the open so we can resolve them."
The next step, she says, is getting yourself and your people back on board. "We keep the focus on business," Wiklund says. "Why are we here? What are we all about? We go deep to find core purpose. Purpose is the juice that points an organization in the right direction and gets the people connected."
Then, pair purpose with action. What behaviors are needed to fulfill the purpose? What results are expected? Will we keep our commitments? How will we change what we do to get what we want?
"It isn't easy for a manager or a professional to admit they've gotten off track," says Wiklund. "Most of my clients are hesitant to ask for help. They feel they should know how to run their business, or manage their organizations. Yet, when they begin to see the results they're getting, how much more productive they and their people are, they wonder why it took them so long to get started."
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400 words
Since 1986, Patricia Wiklund, Ph.D. has helped some of America's largest, and smallest, organizations resolve expensive and troublesome people problems and conflicts by leveraging the strategic power of soft skills®. A former mental health professional, she is as comfortable on the front line, as on the shop floor, or in the corporate executive suite, and also works effectively in government and educational settings. Call her today at 415 641-5997, or email her at pat@patwiklund.com to discuss how she can help you put your people and organizations back on track.
An electronic version of this article is available for reprinting or reposting. Please contact Dr. Pat Wiklund for permission to reprint, and to see if there is a royalty required for reprint. If permission is granted, we request a hard copy of the publication in which the article appears. We request you include Pat's bio at the end of the piece, along with contact information, and preferably, a photo. Photo’s are available online at http://www.patwiklund.com/speaking/index.shtml#photos
For additional information, you may complete an
information form or contact Dr. Pat Wiklund directly at:
236 West Portal Ave. #349
San Francisco, CA 94127
(415) 641-5997
Email:
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Copyright © 2005 Patricia Wiklund, Ph.D. All rights reserved.