Often, you will need to set out to achieve a goal without any clear idea of how it will be done.
From the category archives:
Consultants
Become aware that you are generating your feelings, not the external event.
I’ve worked in environments where the communication skills of the management team have been nothing short of non existent. Where my views as an employee were never taken into account and there was absolutely no forum for me to give constructive criticism over the way I felt my manager led the team, how the department was run or how I felt this affected me. For a period of time, I was definitely one unhappy bunny in what was an over flowing rabbit warren of dissent.
As I write these, it occurs to me that these would be good sentiments for any time of year on any occasion, not just for Christmas.
But here is the key. The difference is never in the world – it’s in the thoughts through which you’re looking at the world.
Time is what our lives are made of. Failure to use this time properly can have an unnecessary negative impact on our lives. This sounds like such an obvious statement but so many of us are still bumping down those stairs backwards because we can’t see the wood for the trees. It can be hard to find our way out of the thicket without a little help and a point in the right direction.
The problems pile up and soak up your time. They glare at you from your to-do list and you’re not quite sure of the next step.
Given the opportunity to understand how his oftentimes painstaking and pedantic ways affect his colleagues, and then given the tools and encouragement to make positive changes, Eeyore could be perceived very differently. With a different communication style alone, his valuable contributions to the team would be recognised as beneficial and potentially indispensible.
. How many of us feel we have the ability to point out weaknesses or flaws in the management team? Could you tell your boss that his communication skills could do with a little smoothing around the edges? If your line manager is terrible at time management and this has a negative impact on the team, how do you let him know?
IBM is finding ways to tackle global issues using feedback. Our own issues may not be global, but you can bet your bottom dollar that the benefits and the insight acquired through 360-degree feedback will be immeasurable.