As people are drawn together, their beliefs, values, and practices are bound to create differing opinions and attitudes. Keeping silent about these differences as though they don’t exist — adding them to the list of undiscussable issues — erects artificial barriers, stifles fruitful dialogue, fosters rejection, drives people apart, and most detrimental of all it […]

A group of community-minded physicians merged their practices to form an outpatient center for the purpose of providing exceptional care at reasonable costs. A very capable administrator and a topflight human resource manager were brought onboard to launch the start-up and oversee daily operations. They constructed a unique building with interconnected medical suites that could […]

The dysfunctional checklist presented in the previous Blog is offered as a method of revealing the nature of the dysfunction that may be present within your sphere of influence. Working with people in a dysfunctional setting is best done incrementally; one person at a time. Eventually those within your sphere of influence will understand that […]

The following list describes behavioral traits that are commonly observed in a dysfunctional setting. Are any of the behaviors on this list present in your life? If so, check them off and use the results to assess the situation you’re dealing with and make plans to change it if you can. __ 1. Communication is […]

The purpose an organization is to create a place for individuals to achieve collectively what they cannot do alone. If that purpose is rejected by those who prefer to cooperate only with those who hold the same beliefs, speak the same language, and have the same skin color then dysfunction is bound to gain traction. […]

What you don’t know can, and ultimately does, hurt you and potentially others. Instead of keeping negative information hidden, what you want others to do is tell it like it is or at least let you know when they believe something is wrong. Communicating honestly, even when it raises tempers and/or hurts feelings, will ultimately […]

Communicating negative information or offering criticism to people of equal status is difficult but doable. They don’t have to listen to you and even if they do, they don’t have to agree with you or act upon what you say. Your chances of getting them to accept your point of view will greatly increase if […]

Failure can be a major impediment to a successful career. The hurt from it can last a lifetime. The fear of it can stifle your ambition and diminish your potential. So, you might ask, what’s the point of learning about a subject that’s known to cause such grief and suffering?  The answer is that by […]

Providing critical feedback to someone you don’t know or don’t trust is difficult to achieve without leaving behind hurt feelings. Those of the receiving end of your rejection are not likely to respond positively unless you are open, honest, and direct with them. Providing negative feedback is one-half of the relationship equation; receiving it is […]

Responding to the profile below will help you discover which of your behaviors align with those of a Doer and which will need further development as you work through the stages of learning. ___  Use expertise, information, and goodwill as your personal power base. ___  Create internal, cross-functional communication channels. ___  Volunteer to solve problems […]