Sunday, 28 September 2008

Executive Coaching For Interpersonal Conflict - Handling Difficult Behaviors

Are you working in an organization where leaders are good at managing strong emotions in the workplace? Are the leaders in your organization socially intelligent?
One of the most powerful questions one can ask oneself is Do I avoid emotionally charged interpersonal conflicts? Emotionally intelligent leaders help people to resolve interpersonal differences.
Are you skilled at managing conflict at work? Do you demonstrate styles of leadership that enable people to be better at listening and understanding? Are you able to help people communicate by being more empathetic?
Handling Difficult Behaviors
Step One: Develop a Plan
Smart managers can develop a plan for managing anger and other strong emotions in the workplace. This may include establishing policies and retaining employee assistance program counselors to help with more serious problems. When special resources are identified in advance and a clear policy is in place, it is easier to manage crisis situations.
Step 2: Invest in Training
The wise manager is open to investing in training and personal development programs that focus on emotional intelligence and assertive communications models. Learning how to handle the complex relationships that arise during work projects is an astute investment that will save time, energy and money in the long run.
Understanding basic human thinking styles and behavior patterns will boost your comfort level when handling interpersonal dynamics. Personality-type assessments and 360-degree feedback programs have also proved helpful. The better you know yourself, the greater your likelihood of understanding and tolerating differences in others. It may be advisable to retain outside consultants and specialists.
Step 3: Invest in Coaching
Consider investing in a coach who can teach your people about human dynamics in the workplace. Greater confidence levels allow employees to work through their anxieties, fears and personality differences. Coaching programs improve the performance of individuals and ultimately increase the bottom line.
Working with a seasoned executive coach trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating leadership assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-i and CPI 260 can help you become a leader who effectively manages interpersonal conflict at work. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of the company.