Taking responsibility for understanding ourselves and mastering the ability to change our behavior to match our values (the definition of integrity) will attract the same from those we manage.

Let’s learn what we can from man’s best friend and see what we can apply to our work and home life

What if our awareness of the other person alerts us to defensive responses that are getting in the way of our desired outcome?

Assuming nothing, we approach the conversation with openness and curiosity, both absolutely essential for a true exploration of the context of the problem

Examine your behavior and identify when and where you may jump the chain – including with frontline workers. What are your triggers - directives that you don’t see being implemented, breakdowns in procedure, waste being generated?

Having a series of open-ended questions in mind helps keep the ownership of the problem and its solution on the employee.

At some point in every training, I ask the question, “When is anger appropriate in the work place?” In every training so far, the response has been, “Never.”  Good to hear; yet, despite this understanding, anger continues to be at least a tolerated behavior in the culture of most organizations. Let’s take a closer look. Anger in the work place …

We cannot afford to lose it to reactivity, hostility, and blame; rather, it is the best tool we have to create excellence with our employees.