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Crisis Management: What Works? Tight Rules or Loose Rules?

THE CRISIS CONTINUES:  It’s hard to find anyone who is not in crisis right now with stay-at-home orders, kids out of school, jobs lost and leaders trying to lead from afar. If you’re a leader or manager in charge, what works best: a tight-fisted rule or one that recognizes and allows individuals to rise to the occasion?

WHO FOLLOWS RULES AND WHY?  In her book, Rule Makers, Rule Breakers, cultural psychologist Michele J. Gelfand details years of research on individuals, organizations and countries about different approaches to rules and their enforcement. In a recent podcast of Hidden Brain, Playing Tight and Loose: How Rules Shape Our Lives, host Shankar Vedantam interviews Gelfand on how her research informs what is effective during the virus crisis. The answer: it depends. While some of us may be natural born rule makers and followers, like the Muppet Kermit the Frog, for example. Others are more like chaos Muppets, such as Cookie Monster. Some people and organizations tend loose, and others tight.

Of course, it’s not just a question of whether you have a lot of rules, but do people follow them? Some countries, such as South Korea, for example, clamped down early and tightly on virus rules. South Korea, Gelfand argues, has historically been a “tight culture”. This may explain their relatively low rates of virus transmission. Other places, such as Italy, which Gelfand characterizes as a “looser” culture, were slower to enact rules, resulting in high rates of transmission, as well as problems enforcing the rules.

MANAGEMENT HEROES?  New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo, for example, has gained many fans for his current hard line rules and transparency about New York’s approach to the crisis, even if some argue that he was slower to respond than he could have been. As a former member of his staff argues, even in calmer times, he could drive his staff nuts with his micro-management and his insistence on always asking “And what else?”, even in response to the most detailed presentations. But that approach left him well prepared to lead through the current crisis.

What Should You Do?

HO FOLLOWS RULES AND WHY?  In her book, Rule Makers, Rule Breakers, cultural psychologist Michele J. Gelfand details years of research on individuals, organizations and countries about different approaches to rules and their enforcement. In a recent podcast of Hidden Brain, Playing Tight and Loose: How Rules Shape Our Lives, host Shankar Vedantam interviews Gelfand on how her research informs what is effective during the virus crisis. The answer: it depends. While some of us may be natural born rule makers and followers, like the Muppet Kermit the Frog, for example. Others are more like chaos Muppets, such as Cookie Monster. Some people and organizations tend loose, and others tight.

Of course, it’s not just a question of whether you have a lot of rules, but do people follow them? Some countries, such as South Korea, for example, clamped down early and tightly on virus rules. South Korea, Gelfand argues, has historically been a “tight culture”. This may explain their relatively low rates of virus transmission. Other places, such as Italy, which Gelfand characterizes as a “looser” culture, were slower to enact rules, resulting in high rates of transmission, as well as problems enforcing the rules.

CRISIS MANAGEMENT HEROES?  New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo, for example, has gained many fans for his current hard line rules and transparency about New York’s approach to the crisis, even if some argue that he was slower to respond than he could have been. As a former member of his staff argues, even in calmer times, he could drive his staff nuts with his micro-management and his insistence on always asking “And what else?”, even in response to the most detailed presentations. But that approach left him well prepared to lead through the current crisis.

What creative ways have you found to lead your team remotely? Call or write us at: 303-216-1020 or Lynne@workplacesthatwork.com

Leading Through Crisis: Four New Rules

Communication is Key.  As I wrote last week, there’s no substitute for excellent communication during a crisis. In addition, leadership generally faces four other gordian knots during the current Covid-19 crisis.

1)  Wrong Information:  As we’ve seen over the last few weeks, information changes daily, sometimes hourly. The brilliant plan you constructed with your team last week may be worthless tomorrow.

2)  Fearful or Weak Leadership:  Although strong, calm and authoritative leadership works best for almost any situation, during a crisis your people will face psychological responses of fear, uncertainly and anxiety. Your job as a leader is to rise above the fray, see the big picture and project your best self.

3)  Poor Decision-Making Skills:  Knowing how to make good decisions is crucial for any leader but with a crisis, a poor decision may cause cataclysmic results. Check out these decision making tips. Want to Bullet Proof Decision Making? Here’s How Decisions! Decisions! How Objective Are You Really?

4)  No Coach:  Almost all of us need a coach for our business during the best of times, during a crisis, it’s easy to feel isolated and hesitant. An effective coach can help you lead through the storm. Read: How to Make Executive Coaching Work for You.

What Should You Do?

1)  Create a Plan:  If you haven’t done so already, put together a team to handle the crisis. It’s important to know who’s on first so that the organization isn’t sending out conflicting messages.

2)  Identify Stakeholders:  Remember that everyone needs to know what you’re doing or not doing: employees, shareholders, lenders, the media and so on.

3)  Have a Consistent Communicator:  The communicator may be someone different from the head of the crisis team but should be a leader with good skills who can be trusted by the public. Ideally, this should be the head of your organization, but if that person doesn’t have good skills, find the next best option.

4)  Create a FAQ Sheet:  Make sure that the team puts together a sheet with facts and frequently asked questions so that each department works from the same information. With a fast-moving crisis like the current virus outbreak, you may have to update those facts on the hour.

5)  Remember Social Media:  With so many rumors and factoids flying around the Internet, don’t forget to have a strategy that takes those sources into account. https://lynne-eisaguirre.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/pdf/LTTS%20THE%20EAGLE%20PERSPECTIVE.pdf

6)  Communicate Through Multiple Outlets:  Some people still read newspapers, others rely on television, some only look at social media, and still others listen to phone messages. Make sure you use different tools in order to reach as many of your stakeholders as possible.

7)  Tell the Truth Fast:  With today’s technologically connected society, your stakeholders will find out the truth eventually from someone else. Be the first to tell them what’s happening so that they trust you and you have a chance to craft a reliable message.

For more information about managing during challenging times, go to “Leading Through the Storm – The Eagle Perspective”.

What Do You Think?

Does your organization have a crisis management plan? Is it currently effective? What have you learned? Call or write us at: 303-216-1020 or Lynne@workplacesthatwork.com

The Best Crisis Management Plan Right Now

CRISIS NOW: If your organization is not in crisis now, it will be soon with the worldwide health crisis. While most organizations have experienced a drop in business, some – such as healthcare – are flooded with new work. Many large organizations have crisis management plans and teams, but some do not. If you don’t have those strategies, you’ll need them soon. Today, most managers will need to be crisis managers. Here are the best crisis management techniques we’ve found.

OTHER MODELS: It’s helpful to look at organizations that have handled crises well. My client Southwest Airlines, for example, always had an excellent safety record, but sustained the death of a passenger on Flight 1380. Significantly, the CEO, Gary Kelly, responded immediately by offering an authentic apology to the family of the victim. He also stopped all social media advertising and made phone calls with support and counseling offers to the other passengers.

Similarly, when people were getting sick from eating Tide PODS® (of all things!) Tide’s marketing team jumped into action, released a warning to customers, and hired former NFL player Rob Gronkowski to record an ad asking people to stop.

What Should You Do?

1)  Create a Plan:  If you haven’t done so already, put together a team to handle the crisis. It’s important to know who’s on first so that the organization isn’t sending out conflicting messages.

2)  Identify Stakeholders:  Remember that everyone needs to know what you’re doing or not doing: employees, shareholders, lenders, the media and so on.

3)  Have a Consistent Communicator:  The communicator may be someone different from the head of the crisis team but should be a leader with good skills who can be trusted by the public. Ideally, this should be the head of your organization, but if that person doesn’t have good skills, find the next best option.

4)  Create a FAQ Sheet:  Make sure that the team puts together a sheet with facts and frequently asked questions so that each department works from the same information. With a fast-moving crisis like the current virus outbreak, you may have to update those facts on the hour.

5)  Remember Social Media:  With so many rumors and factoids flying around the Internet, don’t forget to have a strategy that takes those sources into account. https://lynne-eisaguirre.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/pdf/LTTS%20THE%20EAGLE%20PERSPECTIVE.pdf

6)  Communicate Through Multiple Outlets:  Some people still read newspapers, others rely on television, some only look at social media, and still others listen to phone messages. Make sure you use different tools in order to reach as many of your stakeholders as possible.

7)  Tell the Truth Fast:  With today’s technologically connected society, your stakeholders will find out the truth eventually from someone else. Be the first to tell them what’s happening so that they trust you and you have a chance to craft a reliable message.

For more information about managing during challenging times, go to “Leading Through the Storm – The Eagle Perspective”.

What Do You Think?

Does your organization have a crisis management plan? Is it currently effective? What have you learned? Call or write us at: 303-216-1020 or Lynne@workplacesthatwork.com

The Three Best Ways to Use Remote Tools to Lead Your People Now

Working Remotely: With so many people working remotely, leadership is even more important. Whether you’ve managed remote teams for years or a month, now is the time to make sure you are using the best practices. Here’s my top three:

1) MAINTAIN THE HUMAN TOUCH: Science has now validated that we are wired for connection. With so many people working in social isolation, maintaining what you can of the human touch is critical.

2) GIVE YOUR PEOPLE THE RIGHT TOOLS: You may assume that everyone has a decent computer and high-speed internet but make sure your assumptions are correct. Especially if someone has a spouse, kids or a partner at home, their use of the network may slow everything down.

3) MAKE SURE YOU LEAD: Many people today are fearful, angry or sad about the current state of the world. Your job, as leader, is to be the ‘cheerleader in chief’ and provide realistic reassurance and inspiration.

What Should You Do?

1)  THE HUMAN TOUCH:  While you can’t – and shouldn’t! – provide physical touch right now, you can do the next best thing. Prefer phone conferences, Zoom or the like over just email or chat. If people can see and hear you and their colleagues, their energy level and mood will rise. Make sure that you use your best facilitation skills (or engage an outside facilitator) to encourage everyone to speak and to prevent someone from dominating the conversation. Let everyone know the agenda ahead of time so that the introverts on your team have a chance to think and to process what they want to share before the online meeting.

2)  THE RIGHT TOOLS: Make sure that you conduct a “no-fault” survey of your team so they know they have the tools, skills and other resources to fully participate online. Stand ready to provide training, software or equipment as needed. Now is the time to make sure that you equalize participation as much as possible.

3)  LEADERSHIP: I’m sure that you have your own struggles right now as you attempt to maintain optimism and energy. It’s likely, however, that your people may be feeling even lower than you. Look for resources to cheer them up and give them much-needed perspective. Pass along podcasts, books and online courses that raise their spirits; avoid sharing more news or scary statistics unless necessary.

Check out, for example, the recent On Being podcast with author Rebecca Solnit. In her book A Paradise Built in Hell, she shares the research and history from social scientists who study how people behave in the aftermath of disasters such as Hurricane Katrina. She finds that groups in general, as well as people in particular, end up cooperating, helping and thriving both during and after the event. People’s “better angels”, as Abraham Lincoln called them, always seem to swoop in to help. Most of these stories and statistics are never reported in the media.

As I wrote last week, there are all kinds of creative ways that leaders have found to encourage humorous and uplifting interactions online. Be sure to check out that Monday Memo.

While it’s a cliché, it’s also true that when winter comes, spring’s not far behind. Here’s a picture of the crocuses, for example, that sprang up in front of my house after last week’s snowstorm.

What Do You Think?

What creative ways have you found to lead your team remotely? Call or write us at: 303-216-1020 or Lynne@workplacesthatwork.com

Three Ways to Deal with Angry People!

Anger on the Rise.  People are snappish these days: dealing with the Coronavirus, the stock market slide and normal Monday madness. As a leader or an associate, you may have your hands full trying to cool the flames of workplace upsets.

Should We Ban Anger? You may be tempted to ban anger, to require everyone to ‘play well together’, in calm, respectful voices. As a workshop leader who teaches a lot of classes on civility and respect, I understand the urge. Yet the psychologists and social scientists who study anger caution otherwise. Decades of research and historical study show that anger is normal in almost all humans, in fact, studies show that most people are mildly to moderately angry anywhere from several times a day to several times a week. And, researchers have found, if handled correctly, anger can lead to an appropriate expression of grievances, increased listening, and beneficial change.

But Watch for Unfairness; it Leads to Revenge. Simply becoming angry doesn’t prompt a revenge impulse, argues Thomas Tripp, a professor of management and operations at Washington State University who has studied how revenge can affect the workplace. Tripp has found that revenge is much more common if there is “a sense that the fairness of institutions, what we call procedural justice, has broken down.” For example, when laid-off workers believed firings were handled fairly-that a process was adhered to, that seniority was respected, that worker evaluations were properly considered-they were less likely to protest or complain, even if they disagreed with the outcome.

Alternately, if workers believed that managers were playing favorites or manipulating the rule book, sabotage was more likely. “Think about presidential elections,” Tripp said. “Every four years, roughly half the nation is deeply disappointed. So why don’t they get out their pitchforks? Because as long as they believe it was a fair fight, they tolerate losing. But when both the process and the outcome seem unfair, that’s when we see riots.”

What Should You Do?

1. Seek First to Understand. As outlined above, everyone gets angry sometimes and anger can be channeled and appropriate. The first step is to understand why someone fusses, fumes or screams, especially if they do so at daily annoyances that the rest of us grin and bear. Is it a sense of unfairness or injustice? Or, they may also think that anger is empowering, and rage is a way of being assertive, even though when someone is constantly angry, they are assuming the “poor me” victim role. In most cases, anger is nothing more than an outward manifestation of a different underlying emotion: fear, hurt, frustration or a combination. Anger may also mask depression. So, the first step is to try and understand why your colleague is angry and treat them with compassion.
2. Set Appropriate Boundaries. Just because you’re trying to understand someone doesn’t mean that you should ever take abuse. If someone is truly abusive (not just expressing everyday anger), walk away; complain to your boss (or your boss’s boss) or HR; and document, document, document. Just be sure that you document behavior – specifically what they say or do – not your conclusions, assumptions, or biases about the person’s behavior. And if someone is exhibiting the warning signs of violence – run, don’t just walk, away.  Read more about violence in the workplace.
3. Confronting an Angry Person. Some ragers are like balloons full of hot air, you can just let them talk, talk, talk and eventually, they’ll run out of steam, calm down, and the balloon will fizzle. Otherwise, you need to confront the person with some version of the following:

“You did ___________” (Describe the behavior, what the person did or said.)

“When I objected to your behavior, you ignored me.” (Or yelled, and so on; describe what the person did or said.)

“I care about you and support you and I wish you success in our workplace but if we’re going to work together, you need to treat me and the other members of our team with respect.” (Set a boundary for the rager.)

“You hurt me (or them) when you said or did ______. It also resulted in us missing a deadline because Mary was so upset by your outburst that she had to go home and our assignment wasn’t completed.” (Describe the behavior and the effect of that behavior upon yourself, your colleagues, and the work itself.)

“I would hope this is something you’re not proud of. If you want to continue to stomp around with a frown on your face go ahead, but we’re going to work without you. (Outline consequences of repeating the behavior.)

“I respect your work and I want to have a good working relationship with you, but peace at any price is not peace at all. You owe me and the team an apology. I intend to give you the benefit of the doubt and move past this, but we’ve had our last heated argument and I’ve taken my last bit of abuse from you.” (Add a specific request and repeat that you won’t tolerate the behavior.)

Of course, this conversation must, must, must take place in person, not over email or text!

For more tips on dealing with anger in yourself and others, go to:
The Best Four Steps to Reduce Your Own Anger
Want Someone to Really Change? Don’t Scream

What Do You Think?

What tips do you have for dealing with angry co-workers? What’s worked or not worked? Call or write us at:  303-216-1020 or Lynne@workplacesthatwork.com\

How Much Influence Do You Have? More Than You Think

Stanley Milgram’s Famous Experiment:  One of the most famous psychology experiments of all time is when Milgram asked volunteers to inflict pain (an electric shock) on another volunteer in order to see who would agree with the “authority’s” requests and who would refuse, the so-called “obedience experiments.”  Volunteers were not told the purpose of the experiment: they were told, instead, that the test was about memory.

The common interpretation of this experiment is that most people would indeed deliver a painful shock to others if asked to do so by an authority figure. The student in the other room was actually an actor receiving no physical pain. The study created enormous controversy and purported to prove that people could be easily manipulated.

As we listen to the details of the research, we can’t help but wonder what we would do. Would we actually agree to inflict pain on a stranger?

But What Was the “Authority” Figure Thinking? Most of the commentators have asked about what the receivers of the instruction to inflict pain were thinking, not what the authority figures were feeling. More recent researchers have suggested that instead of asking how the world affects us, why not ask how we affect the world?  How did it feel to make these requests of strangers to inflict pain on others?

The Power of Rejection:  One explanation is the power of rejection: how most of us are afraid to be rejected and focus on that, as opposed to considering who might say “yes” to any request. For most of us, our perceptions of the influence we have on other people is wrong. We have a poor idea of our affect on others. We underestimate the influence we have over others and we overestimate how easy it is to say no to someone. This can lead to good or ill. History is, of course, full of examples of mass manipulation and where that can lead.

What Should You Do?

Understand Your Power: We tend to focus on our own anxiety instead of that of others, what psychologists call “an egocentric bias.” The people who ask us for favors are not gods, we may forget that we have the power to say no. In current experiments following up on Milgram, volunteers doubled their estimates of the number of people they would have to ask for a favor over the actual reality.

Think About How the Recipient’s Feel: Obviously, as an ethical leader, you don’t want to be asking your associates to do anything that’s illegal, immoral or fattening. Yet you may be surprised to know how many of your requests will be granted.

Researchers have learned that we tend to avoid situations where we’ll be asked to do something (such as give money), yet if we’re asked on the spot, we’re much more likely to say yes. Surprisingly, people may even agree to something unethical because they’re too uncomfortable to say no. 

Avoid Egocentric Bias: There’s a vast gulf between what we think we would do if someone requested something and what we would actually do. The social anxiety in rejecting a request is so strong that we are frequently shocked at how we would respond to what someone asks. In the workplace, for example, bullies and harassers may not even realize how they affect others because of egocentric bias; they may assume that people can say no to what they’re asking. The power of this influence explains a lot about why people may be reluctant to say no to romantic requests.

For more information on the power of persuasion, go to Workplaces That Work Monday Memos.

What Do You Think?

When you ask someone to do something, what do you focus on: how they feel or how you feel? Call or write us at:  303-216-1020 or Lynne@workplacesthatwork.com

The Top Two Things Keeping Your CEO Up at Night and Why You Should Care

The Latest:  According to a new survey conducted by Conference Board, for the second year in a row, the top worries for CEOs are: 1) fears of a recession; and 2) attracting and retaining top talent. Read about the survey results.

While you may not be able to impact the first fear, everyone in your workplace can impact the second.

Why This Fear Now? Due to historic labor shortages, finding and keeping the best talent remains the key to success for any organization. I have yet to see a company that boasted good customers without good employees.

Why is This Your Problem? You may grumble that you’re not the CEO and you have your own problems, so who cares if they’re up at night worrying? But the reality is recruitment and retention are your problem also. If you want a higher salary, bonus or stock options, the success of your organization depends upon the talent you have and keep.

What Should You Do?

Keep Your Boss Happy: No matter what your job, the bottom line is that helping your own boss be successful will always impact your success. If you find out what your own leader is worrying about, you can make sure that you help impact their achievements. If you do so, your own fortunes will improve.

Help with Recruitment and Retention: In most workplaces, the most successful new hires are those who knew someone who already worked for the organization. Therefore, many companies pay various kinds of referral bonuses. Even if your organization does not offer such a bonus, you’ll be noticed if your referral pans out. Even if you don’t refer a new person, working well with colleagues always helps with retention and contributes to reducing the rate of turnover.

What Gets Measured Gets Done:  If you’re a manager, keep track of your own turnover rates. If you’re a leader of other managers, keep track of their turnover. While you may believe that who stays or goes is out of your hands due to external factors, you’ll be surprised to find that you can impact the result if you keep track. Keeping track is the first – and sometimes the best – way to make sure you reduce turnover. Once you start watching the numbers, new ideas will come to you about how to keep your best people.

Want more ideas about recruitment and retention?

Want to Hire the Best? Ask THIS Question 
Do You Know What Hiring Technique Really Works? 
How to Keep the Ones You Love: The Number One Retention Strategy

What Do You Think?

What the best way to impact recruitment and retention? Call or write us at:  303-216-1020 or Lynne@workplacesthatwork.com

Three Ways to Manage Political Fights at Work!

Politics and Polarization: In his new book, Why We’re Polarized, journalist Ezra Klein outlines the reasons for current (and past) political polarization. While he cites social and political science research that explains the split, one of the more compelling reasons is the very way our brains are structured. What the neurologists tell us is that we are wired to form tribes. Sadly, at an unconscious level, we quickly recognize and sort those we meet into friends or foes, by how they look, dress, talk and so on. Once we have decided who we should or should not like, our brains continue to collect reasons why they should remain in a certain camp. Outside influences have a challenging time transforming our stereotypes.

A Bad Year to Come: With all the elections looming in the coming year, political discussions at work may heat up. Most likely, tribes have already formed in your organization. Without preparation and thought, those tribes may go to war and disrupt work.

What Should You Do?

Be Prepared: As a leader, you need to realize that most politics is personal. Your associates may have a hard time continuing to work with someone with whom they disagree politically. Your job is to make sure that they understand that — whether or not they are aligned politically — they need to figure out a way to respect each other at work and meet the needs of the organization.

Be a Model: Watch what you say and do. Your people will be looking to you to see how you handle political discussions in the coming year. While I believe that there is a way to discuss politics in a respectful way in the workplace, if you are a leader, you need to be careful not to take sides.

Understand the Rules: Your employees may assert that they have a first amendment right to say anything at work. In fact, in most situations, they do NOT. Unless they are government employees or discussing working conditions as a part of collective action, they can’t just say anything. As their employer, yo u can make rules about workplace speech, just as you make rules about other kinds of workplace behavior. And, you can enforce those rules with appropriate discipline.

While some of my clients have forbade political discussions, I think that’s an unnecessary step. What does need to happen is a discussion, and most likely training, on how to have those discussions within a respectful workplace.

For more information about how to handle political speech at work, go to www.workplacesthatwork.com

What Do You Think?

What’s the best way you have found to mediate disputes at work? Call or write us at:  303-216-1020 or Lynne@workplacesthatwork.com

Three Steps to Resolve Conflict Quickly!

Leaders Resolving Conflict:  One of the problems that many leaders we coach most dislike facing is resolving conflict between their staff.  They would much rather have employees resolve their own disputes. Yet given how many people would like to avoid those associates they are not getting along with, leaders need to have the skills to step in.

The Fear of the Intervention:  One of the reasons I find leaders don’t want to jump into the fray is a fear that they don’t have the skills to mediate the dispute, or that resolution will take too much time. Both concerns may be unfounded.

Why CEOs Fail:  According to Fortune Magazine “Why CEOs Fail” research, there are two top reasons why CEOs fail: 1) failure to meet financial goals; and 2) failure to confront their direct reports with problems — especially people problems — that they knew needed to be resolved but that the CEOs were avoiding.

As a leader, your success may be linked to assuming leadership in conflict and exercising good conflict management skills.

What Should You Do?

Here Are Three Steps for an Easy Mediation Exercise:

While professionals have spent years learning how to resolve conflict, here’s a relatively easy mediation technique to try. Have the two combatants plan to tell the story of the conflict from their partner’s perspective.

1. Instruct them to assume positive intent and use empathy. Most people in the workplace are not evil and do not intentionally sabotage others.
2.  Ask them to try to use “I” statements instead of “you” statements.
3. After one partner has articulated their side of the dispute, ask the other to reflect back on how accurate the  statement might have been.

For more conflict management techniques, visit Workplaces That Work Monday Memos.

What Do You Think?

What’s the best way you have found to mediate disputes at work? Call or write us at:  303-216-1020 or Lynne@workplacesthatwork.com

Three Things You Should Do About Martin Luther King Day

Why You Should Care: You might feel no enthusiasm for MLK Day, unless you have an extra holiday off from work. Yet a careful study of the man and his work would help you in your own daily activities.

The Civil Rights Museum: A few years ago, I had the opportunity to visit the Civil Rights Museum in Birmingham, Alabama. Honestly, I wouldn’t have bothered unless a colleague had dragged me to the center. We had worked a long day and all I wanted was to return to the hotel and crash. Yet I’m so glad that he brought me along. The entire museum is well interpreted and engrossing, but it was the cell where Martin was jailed after the Birmingham march that drew me in.

MLK and Conflict: King had attempted to obtain a permit before he and his followers marched in Birmingham but had been unable to do so. He decided to march anyway. The authorities threw him in jail where he wrote his famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” In the museum, you can sit on the bed in the actual cell while a recording of his voice reads the letter.

I put my hands on the bars and could feel the vibration of his words. The letter brought tears to my eyes. A group of white Christian pastors had written King before the march, and urged him to forgo the event, arguing that he should wait for a better time. King’s response in his letter was to point out the obvious: that African Americans had waited two hundred years to receive the same rights as white Americans. They had waited long enough.

I don’t know about you but if I’d just been thrown in jail, I would probably be crying and trying to call my Mom, not writing a civilized and persuasive letter to those with whom I was in conflict.

What Should You Do?

Look for Models: In my books, articles and presentations about conflict I write and speak about the need to look for models of effective conflict management. See the links below. Resolving conflict is difficult and tiring, looking at the way others have managed helps keep us encouraged. Certainly, MLK can be one of the most inspiring.

Want to Resolve a Conflict Fast? Here’s How to Settle a Dispute Like Herb Kelleher

What Are the Two Most Important Skills Leaders Need to Resolve Conflict?

What’s the Surprising and Most Effective Way to Resolve Conflict at Work?

Educate Yourself and Others: A good place to start for you and your staff is a recent Podcast from the Apollo Theater, The Strategic King: Martin Luther King’s Visionary Leadership.

MLK did more than inspire, he also crafted a strategy that helped him leverage the media, politicians and citizens to move civil rights and lead a generation. Many of his strategic moves can help any leader with her goals.

Assume Leadership in Conflict: In the Birmingham struggle, it would have been easy for any leader to collapse in his jail cell and do nothing until his release. Yet that wasn’t the MLK strategy. He always looked for ways to resolve conflict with his non-violent methods and bring others along. You can do the same.

What Do You Think?

What are the most effective workplace conversations you’ve experienced or witnessed? Call or write us at: 303-216-1020 or Lynne@workplacesthatwork.com