Thoughts and Insights by Michael Gregory

Collaboration is the key for your workforce of the future

From my series of sessions for CPA societies, associations, and businesses on How to Hire, Train, and Retain the Best Employees, I have also completed additional research on how to create your workforce of the future. Collaboration, listening, and leadership are key to developing your workforce of the future. This article explores some of the key elements for your consideration in the application of The Collaboration Effect.

How much is the high cost of unmanaged conflict costing your organization

Unmanaged conflict has a significant impact on morale, turn over, and the bottom line. What if you could collaborate constructively instead? Conflicts, disputes, conflict resolution, dispute resolution and healing are key elements to address for effective leadership. Exploring the costs, employees leaving, ongoing implications, your challenges as a leader, and the implications on trust, are things you can address going forward. This article takes a fresh look at this issue and provides you with tools to help you, your team, and your organization. By managing conflict, it is possible to reduce wasted resources, enhance relationships, and be more profitable.

Take advantage of The Collaboration Effect

I would like to explain the three elements of The Collaboration Effect to address both conflicts and collaboration. Is conflict blocking your results? Would you like to be more productive, more profitable, and have more pleasure? Then you will want to take advantage of The Collaboration Effect by connecting relationships, listening actively, and educating judiciously to build bridges and negotiate closure. The Collaboration Effect enhances relationships, resources, and results. In other words, by taking advantage of The Collaboration Effect you will be better as a person, your firm will perform better, you will be able to interact better with difficult people, and you will have better results with others with improved collaboration.

This is how to build trust in virtual mediations

Trust is simply a “firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.”[i] Relationships are built on trust. This is hard enough in face-to-face disputes where one can hear the words, imply understanding with the tone, and interpret full body and facial expressions. With virtual mediations there are technical, administrative, interpersonal, and other issues that further hamper a clear understanding. These can undermine trust. The question is how can you build trust with virtual mediations? This article addresses three issues for your consideration regarding virtual mediations.   [i] https://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=mcafee&type=C211US0D20151102&p=Define...

Attitude in conflicts and collaboration matters

So much of what you do and say is shaped in part by your own attitude. In disputes and conflicts on the negative side and with collaboration and alignment on the positive side, attitude matters. In society today you see racial strife, uncertain economics, covid-19, less human touch, additional stress, and many other issues, it is amazingly easy to see the downside. On the upside with working from home, not having to commute, connecting virtually, spending more time at home, and having more time to concentrate on other things do you take time to reflect on what you are grateful for? Your attitude is key for so many of life’s twists and turns. This commentary explores your attitude and how you can impact your attitude towards conflict and collaboration

Leadership, Listening, and Collaboration

To collaborate with others, resolve disputes, overcome conflicts, heal relationships, empathize with others, and lead effectively you have to listen. Listening actively is one of the three key components of The Collaboration Effect®. The collaboration effect is all about connecting relationships, listening actively, and educating judiciously in order to build bridges to negotiate closure. This commentary is focusing on listening and taking you to a higher level related to listening. In the text, The Collaboration Effect, chapter 6 is simply entitled, Listening Actively. As the author of this text, I indicate this chapter is the most important chapter in the book. It is with that perspective I want to take you to listening even better going forward by introducing you to two experts that focus strictly on listening.

Mediation for eight possible business scenarios

Mediation is a tool that may be used to help resolve issues and conflict in the workplace. Mediation by a trained and qualified mediator can save time, money, mental toil, and resources.  A mediator’s collaborative style allows the parties to determine the outcome. The process allows for creativity. The parties explore the issues, feelings, and interests of everyone involved. The following commentary presents eight possible scenarios associated with work and businesses.

Mediation and the conflict resolution process

The may informally only need to address two parties exploring the facts, issues, feeling around those issues, and interests. More formal conflict resolution processes may involve mediation, arbitration, or litigation associated with dispute resolution. Alternative dispute resolution techniques are introduced, with an emphasis placed on mediation. Mediation is a rapidly growing alternative for those looking for assistance on addressing issues. When the parties want some help, want closure sooner, want to expend less resources, and want to be part of the decision-making process instead of having a decision imposed by a third party, mediation may be the answer.

Here are 10 tools for resolving conflict in the workplace with customers

We all have to work with various stakeholders but working with the full bell shape curve of customers can be difficult. This commentary focuses on 10 tools for resolving conflict in the workplace with customers. The old adage is “the customer is always right” for exceptional customer service. However, you know the customer is not always right. So, what can you do? Here are ten tools to help you when resolving conflicts with customers at work.

Want to increase productivity and growth in 2021? Collaborate even better with others.

Exploring ideas from 2020 blogs from mikegreg.com on collaboration, there are 31 blogs that cover various elements of collaboration. To start 2021 off right for you I have organized these into various categories that will help you to be more productive and enhance growth by being more collaborative with others.