I have youth clientele, and I have corporate clientele. When the concept of gossiping comes up with young people, I hear comments like, “I can’t wait until I’m done with high school so I can be done with all this … Read More
I forgot to call to reserve the conference room. This is a problem; we have no place to meet. I dropped the ball, and this messed up other people’s days. But Angela forgot to prepare the agenda. A-ha! I’m not … Read More
The youngest member of the team was trying to make a point, but the second-most-senior person talked over her. When she tried to speak again, the guy with seniority made no eye contact with her. After the meeting, she stopped … Read More
I have a couple pet peeves. One of them involves name tags. I hate wearing name tags, but I’m in a lot of situations where people have to wear them: training sessions, week-long camps, trade shows. And I get it … Read More
Why do people get melodramatic? Is it an inability to rein in one’s emotions? Is it about getting attention by yelling or acting out? Could it be a search for validation? Drama in others is confusing – it seems immature, … Read More
“You don’t know what you’re talking about – you’re not in the classroom anymore.” I was delivering some professional development to teachers, helping them find ways to incorporate servant leadership concepts in their classrooms. One point I was making: Sarcasm … Read More
An (abridged) email from Bart, a client: “…and so we just wondered why you would include the TPS module in your proposal?” My early-in-the-career defensive response was similar to: “Why on earth wouldn’t we include the TPS module? Without it, the … Read More
Because conflict can be tense and uncomfortable, we might want it to end quickly. DiSC-wise, S types, and even some i types, find productive conflict awkward at times. Caving in works. It ends discussion.
Belittling can be direct, like calling someone an idiot, or it can be slightly more subtle. Either way, when our back is against the wall in a conflict situation, and things turn unhealthy, making others look small is a tactic that can rear its ugly head.
If we’re not careful, we might let debate become about winning and losing. And when that happens, we are distracted from finding the truth and end up in a political battle.