In this Issue: vol. 11, no. 4

Workplace Relationships: Tiny Things, Big Impacts

Everyday Leadership

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Tips, Tools & Tactics

Welcome to our May 2015 issue, where we point out four small things managers and coworkers do that can create big offense. There's also a link to a video on everyday leadership. Send us your comments... and let us know what else you'd like to learn. -Diana

Workplace Relationships:

Four Tiny Things that Have Big Impacts

In a recent

workshop, I tossed out a question, "What gets in the way of great working relationships?" Responses included everything from the miniscule (my colleague holds up the EZ Pass too early when we're on road trips) to the momentous (my boss constantly makes fun of my weight). Seriously?

I admit these are real outliers in the working-relationships department. What turns out to be much more significant are the tiny and ordinary actions we justify in the moment. Here were the four most often mentioned in that workshop discussion. See if any of your own unconscious actions are included:

1. Not acknowledging emails or voice messages until you have "the answer" or "the time." The problem? The other person has no idea whether you even received their message. Worse, the message they intuit ("I don't care about you") is probably the opposite of the one you intend. Just fire off a quick "received your message and will respond tomorrow" note. It takes all of five seconds.

2. Bulldozing ahead on plans without consulting key people affected by them. One manager complained that her employee recognition luncheon drew an embarrassingly small audience because a peer had planned an event for the same time slot without letting her know. Lots of people felt the effects of that, yet the offending person remained blissfully unaware.

3. Making people ask for things a second or third time. Not long ago, I asked a friend about borrowing several items for an event, requesting a count so I could plan how to supplement. The answer was a friendly, "Sure! If you don't hear back from me, just remind me, okay?" I circled back two weeks later, but...

Click here to read the rest of this article.

Everyday Leadership
A 6-minute TED Talk You Won't Want to Miss

Click here to watch a short, light video of Drew Dudley talking about the kind of leadership you can exhibit every day--without imitating some larger-than-life model of a "leader".

And finally...

Diana Brooks Associates helps people and organizations improve leadership, communication and teamwork.

A speaker, trainer and coach, Diana provides free initial consultations. Contact her at 413.458.8263 or at www.dianabrooksassociates.com.