Monday Moanin Thoughts #177, Warning! Dangerous Comments Ahead

Happy Monday Moanin to all of you on this beautiful final September 2015 Monday. Over the weekend I reread a piece written by Debra Auerbach of CareerBuilder. She wrote about certain comments or statements that no one wants to hear around the workplace and should be avoided. Auerbach wrote that using certain phrases could bring negativity to the workplace and ultimately can affect your work as a leader. If negative comments are being said it may be a sign that there are climate/culture issues in your organization. Why are staff  saying these things and what are they needing ? If you are hearing these or similar comments, what actions are you going to take to improve your  buildings climate and tone?

• “That was useless and a waste of time.”
• “I don’t have enough time for _.”
• “That won’t work and it costs too much.”
• “No one respects how hard our job is.”
• “We did this years ago, it just has a new name, and it didn’t work then.”

As a leader, addressing this issue, consider trying a few of the following strategies to focus on this week. The bolded action is mentioned in Encouraging The Heart, by Kouzes and Posner.

• Be visible and practice “caring by walking around.“
• Pay attention to the positive behaviors and actions in  your organization.
• Give staff members opportunities to share their concerns about issues affecting them.
• Listen, listen, listen.
• Consistently recognize staff for their positive actions.
• Be interested and curious about your students and staff. Notice what is going on!

Hendricks and Ludeman ask;

“Creative leaders find ways of stepping into the shoes of other people and asking , “How would I feel and what would I want if I were this person.”

Have a great week taking action, leading , and  finding the good stuff.