1. Never Take Sides
When trying to mediate a co-worker dispute, a manager should never take sides. It is important for the manager to allow all parties the ability to share concern and what resolution they are seeking. The employee needs to know that they are heard and that the manager is supporting them in seeking resolution. - Tania White, Canary HR Consulting
2. Don't Come In With A Decision Made
You should never come into the situation with a decision made. This will show and make it seem like you are taking sides. Come in and ask questions, and use questions rather than statements, to guide the participants toward resolution. - Alex Pantich, Upshift
3. Don't Let Bias Guide You
It is human nature to carry what you know about a person or situation with you when stepping into these settings, but in order to be effective as a mediator, it is important that you focus on the matter at hand and not allow historic behaviors or circumstances to skew the conversation. Preconceived assessments will demonstrate a bias and derail the impact you need to have in your role. - Angela Persaud, G/O Media
4. Never Embarrass Anyone
I aim to never embarrass anyone, to speak privately to each rankled colleague, to de-escalate the emotional component and bring the issue back to the facts. So when we talk afterward in a three-way conversation, or ideally the two colleagues talk directly without me, nobody feels they've been shamed. The facts as we know them and the common goals of the company need to drive our decisions. - Eric Friedman, eSkill
5. Never Make Assumptions
A manager mediating a dispute between co-workers should never make assumptions or give the appearance they are picking a side. Such behavior can be perceived as biased and unfair. It contradicts the intention of mediation. The short-term impact this behavior could have is that the employee may not feel supported, can feel attacked and can become defensive. This could potentially escalate the dispute. - Thalia Rodriguez, Providence Anesthesiology Associates
6. Don't Prescribe A Solution
A manager should never prescribe a solution because an essential part of solving a dispute is listening and asking questions so the parties can figure out a solution on their own. If a manager prescribes the solution, the dispute may be resolved in the short term but there will be no learning or growth; and the likelihood of recurrence of the same type of dispute will be high. - Olga Sanchez, GFR Services
7. Don't Dismiss An Employee's POV
A manager should never dismiss an employee's point of view or intent. They need to assume that the reason for the dispute is just as valid to both people and seek to not only understand the dispute but the rationales and experiences behind each individual's perspective. Treat people humanely and as adults, and take the time to consider. Never belittle in mediating, and look for common ground. - Russell Klosk, Accenture
8. Never Add Your Personal Opinions
As a mediator in any dispute, it is crucial to stick to the facts. Adding your personal opinions on the matter will almost always escalate the tension, and it can often make one person feel as though you are "taking sides" — the exact opposite of what it means to mediate. Steer clear of injecting your personal opinion, focus on the facts, and guide the conversation to a clear resolution. - Lindsay Gainor, Kent Power
9. Don't Use Sarcasm Or Jokes
Avoid sarcasm or jokes. At times, someone in a mediating position may have the instinct to make a joke to bring levity to a difficult situation. While these conversations can be uncomfortable, trying to make light of it may make one or both of the individuals in conflict feel they are not being taken seriously. I encourage managers to start getting comfortable with discomfort. - Bethany Kurbis, Winrock International
10. Don't Blow It Out Of Proportion
Do not overreact and blow the dispute out of proportion beyond what's actually going on between the co-workers. Some disputes are in fact petty, but get too much attention because of the players involved, the nervous style of a supervisor, hidden agendas, etc. Every organization has some level of politics at play naturally, and I'm a fan of avoiding fueling that whenever possible. - Bryan Passman, Hunter + Esquire
11. Never Downplay Employee Concerns
Never downplay the concerns of the employee who brought the issue to your attention. Even if you don't think their perspective has merit, their point of view matters, and it's important for you to try to step into their shoes, even if only for a moment. By being objective, fair and a good listener, you will be much better positioned to bring the conflict to a point of resolution for both parties. - Tracy Cote, Zenefits
12. Don't Quote Personal Anecdotes
A manager should refrain from quoting personal anecdotes or examples while mediating a dispute. A dispute typically arises as a result of two conflicting viewpoints. A personal anecdote tends to cloud the original issue and unintentionally side with one party, and it could create a feeling of not being heard. Being a good listener and allowing both parties an unbiased forum helps deflate the issue. - Vineet Gambhir, Contemporary Leadership Advisors
13. Avoid Making Comparisons
Managers should avoid making comparisons when mediating a co-worker dispute. Often, managers will try to de-escalate a conflict by providing the employees with an example of how other team members who experienced a similar situation resolved the situation. This approach minimizes the experiences of the current team members and may unintentionally create additional team conflict. - Kelly O'Connell, ON ITS AXIS
14. Don't Spend Too Much Time On It
A manager should not spend too much time on the cause of the dispute. She could try to get the consensus on the origin and then move the discussion toward the likely solutions. Too much discussion in the past about who caused it and what could have prevented it may lead to more issues than forward-looking solutions. It's hard to drive forward by looking in the rearview mirror. - Kumar Abhishek, S&P Global
When leaders sit around the table building their organization’s strategic plan, forecasting a worldwide pandemic is not usually part of the discussion. Why? Well, because most of us think a pandemic would never happen in our lifetime. But it did. And it completely turned our lives upside down. From the way we conduct business to the way we manage staff to the way we lead our organizations, everything has changed. However, from a human resources perspective, this new life may not be all that bad. In fact, this situation may help improve some of our leadership skills, promote creativity and help develop new leaders. Difficult times also cause us to shift our mindset. It is no longer about how we did things years ago, or even yesterday. Every day, as new developments emerge from the pandemic, we are all forced to shift gears very quickly to adapt to a whole new world. But the stakes are high! Leaders may ask themselves, “How can I navigate through all of this without losing sight of the company’s vision, mission and core values?” As tough as this may be for all of us, it’s not impossible. In fact, some of the greatest success stories in history were born during crises. For the sake of focusing on individuals in leadership roles, staff at every level in an organization are counting on leaders to stand up and take charge to navigate them through these tough waters without compromising the integrity of the organization. They are looking for visionaries: leaders who can see a beautiful cup in a lump of unmolded clay. But this takes a real commitment — a commitment to the organization’s goals, a commitment to its people and a commitment to engaging in a new thought process. It’s called leadershift. Leadershift is being able to quickly change directions because of unplanned circumstances without stopping the organization’s progress or movement or steering away from its mission. Things happen. But when they do happen, the company’s leader’s quick mental agility should kick in to keep the organization on track. Here are a few things to consider during this process. Re-think the company’s strategy. Leaders may have to work backward. Revisit the organization’s strategic goals and start with the longer-term goals, which would mean looking at the five- or 10-year plan and making it your right-now plan. Many of those plans may have seemed far-fetched when you first thought them up, but they may be relevant now in today’s new business climate. It might involve, for example, transitioning to include a remote workforce. Re-evaluate your talent. A new plan may mean creating new roles. In a world where everything is now completely digitized, how does your company fit into this new space? Who in this organization has the talent to help transition this organization to a virtual one? Unfortunately, this is probably one of the toughest decisions you will have to make. Because what will happen is that people’s roles will shift as your leadership style is shifting. This also means as a leader, you may have to get rid of some people who no longer fit your new strategy. At the same time, you may be able to offer individuals a new opportunity to learn new skills — if they are willing to make the shift with you. Evaluate your leaders. Do you have the right leaders in the right positions on your team to help you move the organization in the direction you are trying to go? If not, you have to make some decisions about your current leaders. This does not always mean layoffs, but could just involve making adjustments and rearranging people to best fit the organization’s new plans. Share your vision with the team. One of the biggest breakdowns in any organization comes from a lack of communication. This usually happens when there is no solid strategic communication plan to roll out crisis communications to the organization’s internal and external audiences. So, before any information is shared from the executive leadership wing of the organization, a communication plan has to be developed to ensure staff are properly notified of the company’s new plans. One of the worst things that could ever happen is for this information to come from the press or someone from the outside. Leaders should always allow their team to share in the vision so they can be part of it. They may not only support the new business environment, but also have great suggestions on how to move your plans forward. While it is next to impossible to plan through every possible step of a crisis, it is not impossible to develop a willingness to adapt and shift as appropriate. And, leaders who are able to manage the day-to-day needs of their staff with a clear vision while simultaneously being flexible in a business crisis may find greater success overall in the future.
Having a company culture of value is essential to the growth of the organization. Your employees are your richest asset, so why not show them that you value their contributions? HR leaders often hear comments from employees that speak to their perceived value. Some comments you may have heard from employees include: "I wasn't hired to do that. That is her/his job." "Leadership doesn't value us. That's why we don't work as hard anymore." "I work so hard every day. I'm very qualified. I love what I do. But my boss doesn't value my work. She/He thinks someone else is better suited for the job." "I know we can't afford to get big salary increases or bonuses, but can't leadership do something to show their gratitude for us?" "I don't feel like leadership appreciates how hard I work for this company!" If you are an HR leader, chances are you have heard many of these quiet complaints from employees. While we cannot necessarily please every employee, we can work toward showing employees that they are valued in some way. Establishing an environment that values its team members is probably one of the most important ways we can transform an organization, or as some would say, create a cultural shift. It all begins with employee satisfaction. It is the responsibility of leadership to ensure all employees feel valued, no matter their role in the organization. A valued employee is a satisfied team member. Once an individual has made the shift from employee to team member, they become part of the process, are able to adopt the organization's core values and mission and become ambassadors for the organization. They feel like they are part of the process and not just viewed as someone punching in and out on a clock, or as a worker on an assembly line. Valued team members tend to be more productive. It's true — researchers from the University of Michigan found that while some organizations still push the tradition of bonus increases, it's "positive and virtuous practices" that make the real difference. Some of the simple methods of creating happier team members include: "Caring for, being interested in, and maintaining responsibility for colleagues as friends. Providing support for one another, including offering kindness and compassion when others are struggling. Avoiding blame and forgiving mistakes. Inspiring one another at work. Emphasizing the meaningfulness of the work. Treating one another with respect, gratitude, trust and integrity." These simple six methods are often found in many organizations' core values. It is important, however, to conduct frequent pulse checks to ensure that leadership is actively and consistently living up to the core values. The important thing to remember is that not everyone is looking for a lot of money. While money and perks are nice and should be offered to fairly compensate employees for their work, what should be top of mind for all leaders is creating an environment of dignity, honor and respect — one that inspires individuals to desire more for themselves. A culture of value is one that nurtures and develops its people. People leave relationships because there is a breakdown in its value perception and core values of respect, love and commitment to the other party. Organizations are the same way. Leaders have to invest more time and commitment into helping employees make the shift to team members. This goal is achieved by creating a culture that values people over the bottom line and places streamlined processes as a top priority.
Crises are very tough. Whether we are dealing with the death of a family member, receive news about a sick friend, or receive notice about the company downsizing, at some point in our lives we all face difficult challenges where we have to pause to figure things out. But what do you do when you are in the wake of a worldwide catastrophe and you are now your brother's and your sister's keeper? When COVID-19 hit, leaders across all sectors were left scratching their heads and asking themselves, "What to do"? Very few people in our lifetime (unless you lived through the pandemic of 1915) had ever experienced a crisis of this magnitude – let alone had to manage a group of people during one of these events. Like seriously, where is the play-by-play book to help us all through a trial of this magnitude? The reality is, there isn't a book of answers for every situation, especially novel virus COVID-19. While executive leaders have all experienced organizational challenges from time to time, no one – not even leadership in the White House – was prepared for COVID-19. The truth of the matter is history seems to repeat itself. Throughout history, many of the world's greatest leaders have emerged during crisis events. Most literature written about these leaders has been recorded after the fact. Why? Because unfortunately, we do not know what we are made of until we are faced with adversity. In "Forged in Crisis: The Power of Courageous Leadership in Turbulent Times", by Nancy Koehn, she profiles five of the world's greatest leaders, why they were so effective and how leaders today can tap in to some of these key skills. Each of these leaders had a few things in common. They embraced their fear of the unknown, rose to the occasion at hand, and put the welfare of the people they served before themselves. In other words, they had to build the plane while flying it, so to speak. Today, COVID-19 is providing a hardcore lesson for organizational leaders about how to manage both themselves and their people during this present day pandemic. While there is not one solution to resolve all the issues associated with COVID-19, leaders can take one day at a time and try implementing some of the following recommendations. Acknowledge people's fear, but offer encouragement. One of biggest issues we all face during a crisis is fear. If you breakdown what fear means, it stands for False. Evidence. Appearing. Real. It is very difficult to see the world collapsing around us as false evidence. We are watching the chain of events unfold right before our eyes. But why should we view fear as false evidence appearing real? It's the glass half full vs. the glass half empty analogy. The glass is half full. But it is also half empty because the liquid is right in the middle. So depending how you view it, you see things very differently. Promoting positive thinking by helping people to see that trouble is never permanent and that there is light at the end of the tunnel is one way leaders can raise the spirits of employees. Providing employees the support of a listening ear is also helpful. Bringing on outside counselors to allow employees to talk through some of their fears and anxiety is also very helpful. This way, as a leader, you are sending the message that you care about your people's mental health and emotional well-being. Provide your people with the tools to succeed despite the crisis. One of the biggest lessons leaders have learned during the COVID-19 pandemic is that the business world can continue, with or without the brick and mortar. With advance technology platforms and virtual meeting platforms such as ZOOM, Skype, Facebook Live, telehealth, and the support of many other technological tools, working from home has been very effective. Most of the issues arise when employees lack the proper tools to work with the same high level of efficiency as if they were in the office. Providing all employees with the proper internet support, necessary training, and other tools they need can help your people succeed at their jobs despite what is happening on the outside. Be brutally honest about the state of business during crisis. While every leader desires to maintain some level of confidentiality with high-level business affairs, during a crisis, being as transparent as possible helps to ease the tension of the circumstances at hand, and could build a higher level of trust between leadership and employees. For example, if layoffs are inevitable as a result of the crisis, then that information needs to be relayed sooner than later. No one wants to hear about they might be losing their job through the grapevine because the information accidentally leaked by the press, or from some other source. If absent, leaders can rest assured their credibility is pretty much diminished. Also, demonstrating honesty can harness increased support of future goals of the organization from both customers and employees. Communication is key. We have all heard the expression that silence is golden. During a crisis, silence can create an internal disaster! When leadership is silent when they should be providing guidance and offering more information to employees, it leaves employees with no other choice but to draw their conclusions. Most often, this is how lies and rumors are born. Communication is a priority for leaders, and a way to promote the organization's other important initiatives that may impact them, their family, and the organization overall during crises. Build an internal community of unity. The expression "we are stronger together than we are separate", or "where there is unity there is strength" should all be important internal philosophies of the organization during crisis. Adopting these types of philosophies brings people together as a village and helps the strong to bear the infirmities of the weak. It also promotes the adage, "I am my brother's keeper" because it creates the power of giving of ourselves to help someone else during a time when they may not be able to stand on their own. In this way, we are somehow able to stop worrying about our problems and the overall crisis, and are now honing in on our co-worker. This is a step in the right direction for transforming a culture into a family-like, community-focused, environment. Model the behavior you want to see. One of the first lessons learned by leaders is that we should lead by example. Leadership is as leadership does. If we want to create a culture that is family-oriented, professional, respectful of our colleagues, and that cares about the welfare of others, we have to live it. This is one of those things where we have to completely learn to manage our behavior first to ensure that we are exhibiting the core values that we are preaching to others, especially during a crisis. So if we want our people to feel less stressed about the crisis, then we must show them that it is possible to maintain a positive mental attitude, that it is okay to share our thoughts and fears with a professional, to extend help to someone else, or to maintain a high level of integrity and honesty despite how bad things may be. While history has displayed many powerful leaders during crisis, we should expect to see great leaders born during COVID-19. Most importantly, we should work to become one of those emerging leaders that everyone will talk about long after COVID-19 is over.
