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Minimizing the "Us vs. Them" Mentality
by Theresa Gale
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Is the "Us vs. Them" mentality compromising operations and impacting at your company? Sometimes overt, sometimes subtle, the "Us vs. Them" mentality is always corrosive to productivity and morale, and can result in reduced sales, poor performance and employee resignations.
While various departments may be racking up points against one another, the real loser in this proposition is your client - who can't help but feel the ramifications of diminished service.
At Transform, we cut through this mentality by shifting the staff's attention to what is really important: "the client experience," which requires that everyone buy into a common goal.
If committed to resolving this situation, consider the following approach:
· Convene an interdepartmental meeting and jointly identify the specific areas of operation that are experiencing difficulty. In doing so, always present any issue from the perspective of the client experience (i.e. unable to deliver on time; slow response; etc.). It is important to get agreement at the start of the meeting that the purpose of the meeting is to identify solutions to fix or resolve operations, not for blaming and finger pointing. You'll be amazed how this frees employees to speak openly and honestly about what is really getting in the way of them being able to satisfy clients.
· Ask each manager to detail the functions and requirements needed for his or her given department to be successful and share it with other departments. This shared and sometimes surprising education results in a newfound empathy and understanding among employees.
· Enlist your managers to collectively rebuild the internal processes that will allow all departments to work in a more collaborative manner. By contributing to these processes, your employees will be supporting what always has and will be your most important objective - satisfying the client.
If your company is feeling the impact of the "Us vs. Them" mentality. Give us a call. We can help talk you through it.
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| Lessons Learned
Share Your Lesson and Be Eligible To Win a Free Training Session
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What is the most important business lesson you have learned lately? At Transform, we value your experience and knowledge. Share your perspective and become a contributor to our learning community of 2,500 readers. All submissions will be published in upcoming editions of this newsletter. At year end, we'll enter the names of all those who submitted for a drawing. The winner will receive 3 hours of free training. To submit a lesson, email us, writing "Lessons Learned" in the subject heading of the email. We look forward to hearing from you.
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| Must Attend Enneagram Leadership Conference
The Leadership Challenge: The Art of Greatness NOW
September 10-13 · Crowne Plaza Hotel · Old Town Alexandria, VA
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 CEO's, executives and managers who have a working knowledge of the Enneagram and want to deepen their understanding and its application in their role as leaders should attend this inaugural conference jointly hosted by Transform and Enneagram Worldwide in Old Town Alexandria, VA, September 10-13. Business leaders, facilitated by David Daniels, M.D., Theresa Gale, CET, Peter O'Hanrahan, CET, and Mary Anne Wampler, CET,will have the opportunity to network with one another, exploring and resolving the issues that have limited the full emergence of leadership skills. Count on three days of breakthroughs and self realizations that will assist you throughout the balance of your business career. For more information, call Mary Anne at 301-639-9779.
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Advanced Enneagram Training · May 1-6
The Enneagram for Therapists, Counselors, Coaches and Guides
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The Enneagram brings unparalleled benefit to those working with others by providing accurate descriptions of the core structures of the nine personality types as well as type-specific understanding of the relationship between psychological issues and spiritual qualities. Make plans to attend this advanced training presented by the Enneagram Professional Training Program with David Daniels, MD, Terry Saracino, MA, MBA and Marion Gilbert RPT. In this groundbreaking training, participants will learn a new approach for using the Enneagram effectively to bring about growth of clients and self. Mary Anne Wampler describes this program as "one of the best training sessions I've ever experienced." Find out more and download registration information at the Enneagram Worldwide website.
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HEADS UP
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Mary Anne Wampler
E-Mail Privacy
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Q - What rights do employers have when it comes to emails sent on company email? An employee used her email to bash her manager. The manager saw the email when trying access a document from the employee's computer. When confronted, the employee was livid that the manager opened her email. Manager was shocked because, in a recent review, employee said how wonderful things were going.
A - The employer owns all emails and can view them at any time. That said, doing so has the potential to erode the bond and trust between employer/employee. However, employees have a responsibility to be honest with managers and not put into writing anything that he/she isn't willing to communicate directly.
Outcome
The employee was fired - not because of what she wrote in the email - but because she refused to meet with the manager and discuss her issues with the manager.
Do you have a work related issue? Email Mary Anne.
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A NEW EARTH
Eckhart Tolle
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How do you explain the runaway success of Eckhart's latest work concerning the limiting power of the ego and the quest for life's purpose? The author's straight forward approach to this examination resonates clearly with people from all walks of life. For students of self discovery, this is a must read. It succeeds in communicating the message that we are - for better or worse - what we think. It's making me shift some of my thinking. I highly recommend it.
Theresa Gale
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ARE YOU READING
A NEW EARTH
Share
your thoughts about this book with our readers. EMAIL your comments to
us, listing the title of the book in the subject line of your message.
We'll post them in the next issue of our newsletter. We look forward to
hearing from you.
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