Popular in Professional

Culture and Society

The City as a Growth Machine: Toward a Political Economy of Place

New York University Harvey Moltoch

Education

The Role of Education in Reducing Racial Inequality

University of Southern California Pedro A. Noguera

Law

Diversity and Social Mobility in the UK legal profession

Law Society I. Stephanie Boyce

Internet Law

The Law of AI for Good

University of San Diego Orly Lobel

Pharmacy

Cytotoxic Activity and Anti-Migratory Effect of Berberine-Phytantriol Liquid Crystalline on Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

University of Technology Sydney Kamal Dua

Human Rights Law

Transforming Restorative Justice for Transitional Settings

University of Nottingham Kerry Clamp

Education

Conflict Management and Leadership for Managers

View more insights in Books - Professional - Business - Management

View more figures from Kennesaw State University

View the page of Susan Raines

Read the Study

Conflict Management for Managers equips leaders with skills to handle workplace conflicts. Susan S. Raines provides practical advice for effective communication, team building, and relationship management.

Image courtesy of interviewee. December 5, 2023

Generating Workspace

Export as PDF

The speaker discusses the significant changes in the workplace since the release of their last book in 2019. They highlight the impact of remote and hybrid work, generational conflicts, and a tight labor market on organizational dynamics. Throughout their consulting experience across various sectors, a common struggle observed is teams lacking a unified vision for moving forward.

The speaker emphasizes the importance of conflict management within organizations by advocating for the development of systems and cultures that promote constructive behavior and collaboration. They draw parallels between conflict in organizations and air quality, suggesting that how conflict is managed can vastly affect workplace environment.

Since 2019, the speaker notes a shift toward leaders being more adaptable in their roles—balancing between being a manager and a leader. This video video adaptability is vital for creating inclusive workplaces that celebrate diversity in a genuine way, rather than superficial gestures. The talk also addresses generational shifts in the workforce, stressing the need for managers to understand their employees on a personal level to foster engagement and satisfaction.

They highlight the competitive advantage organizations gain by effectively addressing conflict and supporting employee needs, particularly in a labor market characterized by high turnover and competition for talent. The speaker stresses the importance of creating a positive company culture where all employees feel they can thrive and bring their authentic selves to work.

The discussion concludes with a focus on the responsibility of leaders to navigate challenges while protecting their brand. The speaker underscores that leadership reputation is built in crises and emphasizes the importance of creating transparent and inclusive environments that empower employees to speak out against misconduct. Ultimately, the speaker calls for organizations to proactively engage in fostering better workplace dynamics to navigate the complexities of modern work and retain talent effectively.

Language:

Export as PDF

X-TIMESTAMP-MAP:LOCAL=00:00:00.000,MPEGTS=900000

00:00.185 --> 00:02.605
So my last book came out in 2019,

00:03.265 --> 00:05.125
and I wanna almost check it out

00:05.125 --> 00:08.685
because the world of work has completely changed since 2019.

00:09.025 --> 00:10.685
Uh, we, in fact, there's more things

00:10.685 --> 00:12.085
that have changed than have stayed the same.

00:12.825 --> 00:15.045
So I've been doing consulting with big

00:15.045 --> 00:17.805
and small organizations from the International Monetary Fund

00:17.865 --> 00:21.445
to American Family Physicians and everything in between.

00:22.105 --> 00:24.645
And, usually we're, and sports teams and,

00:24.665 --> 00:25.725
and entertainment groups.

00:25.865 --> 00:29.445
And what I typically notice is that,

00:30.545 --> 00:34.335
teams don't, they struggle to have, unified vision

00:34.795 --> 00:35.895
for how they wanna move forward.

00:36.195 --> 00:37.855
And they all might know where they wanna end up,

00:37.855 --> 00:40.175
but they all have different ideas about how to get there.

00:40.955 --> 00:44.655
And since 2019, we've got remote work and,

00:44.795 --> 00:46.015
and hybrid work.

00:46.065 --> 00:47.855
We've got generational conflict

00:47.855 --> 00:48.935
like we've never seen before.

00:49.355 --> 00:50.615
We have a tight labor market,

00:50.615 --> 00:52.735
which has turned on its head a lot of things

00:52.735 --> 00:54.615
that we thought we knew about management leadership.

00:55.555 --> 00:58.615
And so, in the work I've been doing with organizations

00:58.615 --> 01:00.775
and really, really this has been developed from the ground

01:00.795 --> 01:03.495
up because I've developed, processes

01:03.495 --> 01:05.655
and tools to work through conflict

01:05.655 --> 01:08.455
and have teams, realize better outcomes.

01:09.155 --> 01:10.335
Um, and that's happened.

01:10.335 --> 01:13.015
Every organization has some similar conflicts

01:13.035 --> 01:14.175
and some different conflicts.

01:14.595 --> 01:16.575
So, a lot of these conflicts

01:16.575 --> 01:19.735
and problems are different since, since before 2019.

01:20.395 --> 01:22.375
So that's why I've, I've written this book

01:22.395 --> 01:26.015
and it has a bigger focus on managers as leaders,

01:26.835 --> 01:28.175
and kind of the difference when

01:28.175 --> 01:29.415
to be a leader, when to be a manager.

01:29.615 --> 01:30.815
'cause sometimes you have to go back

01:30.815 --> 01:31.975
and forth between those roles,

01:32.725 --> 01:35.015
depending upon the room you're in and whether

01:35.015 --> 01:36.575
or not you're the, the person in the middle,

01:36.715 --> 01:37.975
the top or the bottom in that room.

01:38.635 --> 01:41.895
Um, and so, so it's really focused on how to respond

01:41.895 --> 01:44.335
as a leader manager with the current challenges we have.

01:44.515 --> 01:46.895
People think about conflict management in organizations.

01:47.155 --> 01:49.375
Things like, if you have an employment dispute,

01:49.375 --> 01:51.495
you might go to arbitration if you're a union member,

01:51.835 --> 01:53.255
or you might use mediation,

01:53.635 --> 01:56.015
or you might have some other way to kind of formally,

01:56.305 --> 01:57.935
informally address conflict.

01:58.315 --> 02:01.015
But what we're really talking about in conflict management

02:01.035 --> 02:05.415
in organizations is how do we create, systems, processes

02:05.755 --> 02:08.535
and cultures that encourage good behavior

02:08.915 --> 02:10.295
and encourage people working

02:10.295 --> 02:11.895
through their differences collaboratively?

02:12.175 --> 02:13.895
'cause conflict is just part of human life.

02:14.495 --> 02:16.615
I say it's like air, the air quality can be good,

02:16.615 --> 02:18.695
or the air quality can be bad, but there's always air.

02:19.195 --> 02:20.375
So the conflict is like

02:20.375 --> 02:22.495
that conflict can make your environment positive

02:22.495 --> 02:24.815
or negative depending on how you handle it.

02:25.115 --> 02:26.655
So what we're trying to do is get people

02:26.655 --> 02:30.655
to see the positive, potential in conflict

02:30.655 --> 02:33.855
because conflict brings change and change brings conflict.

02:33.855 --> 02:36.215
They go together. So we're seeing a lot more conflict in

02:36.215 --> 02:38.095
organizations in the last few years

02:38.095 --> 02:39.735
because we've seen such rapid changes.

02:40.315 --> 02:44.055
And the companies that have decided to kind of get on board

02:44.155 --> 02:46.335
and not be conflict avoidant and figure out

02:46.335 --> 02:48.855
and teach their people how to constructively

02:49.405 --> 02:50.895
make decisions together and

02:51.255 --> 02:52.335
constructively get through differences.

02:52.705 --> 02:55.015
Those companies have a competitive advantage.

02:55.205 --> 02:57.895
They retain employees, they keep their employees engaged.

02:57.895 --> 02:58.935
They're more innovative

02:59.010 --> 03:00.245
Because people share ideas.

03:00.985 --> 03:02.685
So really, conflict management is how

03:02.685 --> 03:03.925
to get the be in organizations.

03:03.995 --> 03:07.085
It's about how to get the best out of every employee so

03:07.085 --> 03:08.525
that you can achieve that mission together

03:08.945 --> 03:12.165
and just have a more joyful, wonderful environment

03:12.165 --> 03:13.565
where people get up and they're happy to be there.

03:14.065 --> 03:15.805
Um, which is possible, you know,

03:15.805 --> 03:17.525
it really can happen if you're doing it right.

03:17.665 --> 03:19.845
And I have to say, my son, I,

03:19.965 --> 03:21.365
I mentioned him in the acknowledgements.

03:21.445 --> 03:24.325
I have a son that's in college now, and he would come home

03:24.325 --> 03:27.125
and say, we would talk a lot about the

03:27.155 --> 03:28.525
environment he's working in.

03:28.945 --> 03:30.645
Um, and he has been working in a

03:31.205 --> 03:32.285
majority minority environment,

03:32.705 --> 03:34.325
and he has learned a lot through that.

03:34.505 --> 03:37.365
And in the work I've been doing, I've been working in a lot

03:37.365 --> 03:39.325
of organizations where just

03:39.325 --> 03:40.725
because of generational change,

03:40.825 --> 03:42.485
the leaders at the highest level

03:42.505 --> 03:44.485
and the managers at the highest level don't always

03:44.485 --> 03:47.485
demographically match the people they are managing.

03:47.825 --> 03:50.245
And at the same time, sometimes we'll have a 30 year old

03:50.245 --> 03:53.085
manager supervising 65 year old employees, right?

03:53.105 --> 03:56.525
So we're seeing just all kinds of generational change

03:56.545 --> 04:00.285
and diversity change and what really matters here,

04:00.555 --> 04:04.165
what we wanna get past is this kind of silliness

04:04.165 --> 04:05.445
of tolerating diversity.

04:05.585 --> 04:08.365
And, and these kind of, let's have a Cinco de Mayo party,

04:08.425 --> 04:09.685
you know, like struggle.

04:09.725 --> 04:11.685
I struggle with that. What we want instead

04:12.465 --> 04:15.805
is we want organizations that let everyone

04:16.345 --> 04:17.365
be themselves at work.

04:18.165 --> 04:20.065
If you're gay, you're gay, bring it.

04:20.245 --> 04:21.625
You know, if you've got three kids,

04:21.625 --> 04:23.505
and that's part of what you talk about at work, great.

04:24.085 --> 04:25.625
If you know whatever it is, right?

04:25.725 --> 04:27.745
If you have some interesting hobby that you want

04:27.745 --> 04:30.025
to talk about, whatever it is your background,

04:30.255 --> 04:32.785
whether you are, an immigrant

04:32.845 --> 04:34.145
or you were born here, you know,

04:34.145 --> 04:36.145
and your family's been here for generations, whatever it is,

04:36.145 --> 04:37.705
you bring your whole identity to work.

04:38.245 --> 04:40.065
And we in, we're interested in really getting

04:40.165 --> 04:43.185
to know each other as human beings and as individuals.

04:43.445 --> 04:44.945
And one of the parts of the research

04:44.945 --> 04:48.905
for this book is I've asked hundreds of managers,

04:49.255 --> 04:51.345
what they think makes them a good manager or not.

04:51.405 --> 04:52.665
And then I've asked thousands

04:52.665 --> 04:55.105
of employees the same question, and there is a mismatch.

04:56.105 --> 05:00.575
So about, 53% of managers say they are above average

05:00.715 --> 05:01.815
and only 8%

05:01.875 --> 05:04.055
of employees rate their manager as above average.

05:04.645 --> 05:06.495
This is called the Dunning Kruger effect.

05:06.495 --> 05:07.575
There's actually a word for it.

05:07.875 --> 05:09.975
We are not objective in our own performance.

05:10.595 --> 05:12.415
So one of the things we wanna do is make sure

05:12.415 --> 05:14.415
that managers are getting to know their employees

05:14.475 --> 05:15.655
on an individual level.

05:15.835 --> 05:17.815
And then instead of treating everyone the same,

05:18.515 --> 05:20.735
you are literally talking to employees

05:20.735 --> 05:22.055
and negotiating that relationship.

05:22.055 --> 05:23.655
What is it you need? Do you need flexibility

05:23.655 --> 05:24.815
in your work schedule right now?

05:25.475 --> 05:28.375
Do you need professional development? Do you wanna move up?

05:28.685 --> 05:30.135
What is it each employee wants?

05:30.135 --> 05:32.815
Sometimes somebody wants to come clock in eight hours,

05:33.275 --> 05:34.375
do their job and go home.

05:34.435 --> 05:35.935
And as long as they're doing it, okay,

05:35.935 --> 05:37.055
that's okay too, right?

05:37.385 --> 05:38.735
Maybe that's where they're at right now.

05:39.115 --> 05:40.575
So diversity is really about

05:41.125 --> 05:43.895
helping employees reach their full potential and,

05:43.915 --> 05:45.735
and connecting with them on a human level.

05:45.915 --> 05:47.055
And managers who do

05:47.055 --> 05:49.695
that have a huge competitive advantage right now in this

05:49.695 --> 05:52.535
tight labor market where we have the great resignation

05:53.155 --> 05:56.015
and where people and companies are competing for labor.

05:56.435 --> 05:58.085
And if I can can say this, I recently worked

05:58.085 --> 06:00.405
with a unnamed multinational corporation

06:00.405 --> 06:02.645
that has a huge problem attracting enough talent

06:03.185 --> 06:05.205
in a very competitive scientific industry

06:05.205 --> 06:06.525
where there's a shortage of people

06:06.525 --> 06:07.645
that do what they need them to do.

06:08.225 --> 06:12.205
And what they found is they have a real problem attracting

06:12.205 --> 06:14.885
and keeping people who are not kind of from

06:14.885 --> 06:17.725
what we'll call traditionally empowered groups,

06:18.585 --> 06:20.485
and they realize they're actually not getting the best

06:20.485 --> 06:22.645
talent and they have jobs that are going unfilled

06:22.955 --> 06:25.965
because it's their company has not been perceived

06:25.965 --> 06:29.965
as a destination employer or one that is, welcoming.

06:30.585 --> 06:32.845
And interestingly, we've done some research

06:32.845 --> 06:35.165
that indicates in companies that are score,

06:35.165 --> 06:37.085
that score high on levels of diversity,

06:37.225 --> 06:38.245
equity, and inclusion.

06:38.915 --> 06:42.365
Even traditionally, empowered groups, we'll say,

06:42.365 --> 06:44.045
even older white men, for example,

06:44.465 --> 06:46.325
are happier in those organizations

06:46.755 --> 06:49.885
because they're kinder, more personable organizations,

06:50.195 --> 06:52.005
they're more humane organizations.

06:52.545 --> 06:53.765
So we're learning, it's,

06:53.995 --> 06:56.605
it's not like a a zero sum or a trade off.

06:57.025 --> 07:01.725
Um, really embracing the, the humanness of workers is part

07:01.725 --> 07:02.805
of the future workplace.

07:03.305 --> 07:06.925
And that is a struggle for folks who've been, I'm 54,

07:06.985 --> 07:09.525
so when I started to work, we were, I was glad to have

07:09.525 --> 07:11.965
that job 'cause I came of age in a recession, right?

07:12.595 --> 07:14.845
It's very different. If you come of age in a,

07:14.845 --> 07:16.765
in a time when there's a shortage of employees,

07:16.765 --> 07:18.245
especially educated employees,

07:18.265 --> 07:19.725
you have much more bargaining power.

07:20.265 --> 07:22.605
And instead of arguing about how things should be

07:22.625 --> 07:25.165
or how employees should look or act

07:25.165 --> 07:28.645
or behave, we really need to kind of figure out,

07:28.745 --> 07:30.485
how do we make sure that this is a place

07:30.485 --> 07:32.685
where everybody feels they can belong and contribute.

07:32.985 --> 07:35.525
So I wanna say, regardless of how work gets done

07:35.745 --> 07:37.405
and with technology,

07:37.555 --> 07:39.885
whether folks are working fully face-to-face,

07:40.065 --> 07:41.765
or they're hybrid or they're remote,

07:41.825 --> 07:44.085
or there's, all kinds of, first of all,

07:44.185 --> 07:46.565
we wanna be co I would just, I'm gonna speak for companies.

07:47.405 --> 07:49.125
Companies should want to be the kind of company

07:49.195 --> 07:51.605
that in general their employees say good things about.

07:52.065 --> 07:55.125
And that one, one of the kind of important questions

07:55.125 --> 07:56.845
that we ask on employee surveys is,

07:56.845 --> 07:58.405
would you recommend this as a place to work?

07:58.985 --> 08:01.285
And if too many of your employees say, no,

08:01.425 --> 08:02.605
that's not about them, that's about you.

08:03.305 --> 08:06.105
So what we want to do, of course you can't please everybody,

08:06.165 --> 08:07.465
and you'll always have,

08:07.465 --> 08:08.545
there's a chapter in the book

08:08.545 --> 08:09.665
on working with difficult people.

08:10.085 --> 08:12.465
So you may have the, you know, the person who has

08:12.465 --> 08:14.025
that dark cloud around them wherever they go,

08:14.045 --> 08:16.025
and my goodness, everything's terrible.

08:16.255 --> 08:17.985
There's certain ways to work with those people

08:18.045 --> 08:19.585
and certain things they're really, really good at.

08:19.975 --> 08:22.625
Like, finding errors and auditing,

08:22.685 --> 08:23.985
or being, you know, you're, you're

08:23.985 --> 08:25.545
troubleshooter, they're great at that.

08:26.365 --> 08:30.945
So we want to, make sure that folks, regardless of

08:30.945 --> 08:33.385
how they're working and the role of technology in their job,

08:34.075 --> 08:35.785
again, they're able to feel like they're

08:35.785 --> 08:36.825
fully engaged in the team.

08:37.205 --> 08:39.025
And ironically, allegations

08:39.025 --> 08:40.665
and complaints, formal complaints,

08:40.665 --> 08:43.385
with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission went up,

08:43.715 --> 08:44.945
complaints of bullying

08:45.005 --> 08:47.265
and harassment went up during the Covid pandemic,

08:47.435 --> 08:48.665
which is ironic 'cause

08:48.685 --> 08:50.545
for a while everybody was working online.

08:50.685 --> 08:53.745
So how does it happen? Well, it turns out,

08:53.895 --> 08:56.045
when people are kind of, of isolated from each other

08:56.225 --> 08:57.965
and your boss is just calling you on the phone

08:58.025 --> 08:59.925
or zooming you, and if it's not being recorded,

09:00.395 --> 09:02.005
they can say things they would never say

09:02.005 --> 09:03.165
in a face-to-face environment.

09:03.745 --> 09:06.365
And people might also have, you know, they're,

09:06.435 --> 09:08.325
they were a little impatient and tired

09:08.345 --> 09:09.485
and overwhelmed and stressed.

09:09.505 --> 09:11.205
And again, that doesn't lead to great behavior.

09:11.945 --> 09:13.565
But we wanna be thoughtful about

09:13.665 --> 09:17.015
how do we actually create a culture that's bully proof,

09:17.075 --> 09:20.175
that's predator proof, where we have company-wide

09:20.235 --> 09:22.855
and leader set this tone company-wide expectations

09:23.315 --> 09:24.495
for how people will behave.

09:24.595 --> 09:26.055
And then we support their skills so

09:26.055 --> 09:27.295
that they can actually do it right?

09:27.295 --> 09:28.415
This is how we expect you to behave.

09:28.415 --> 09:30.175
And if you don't have those skills yet, social skills

09:30.235 --> 09:33.055
or other skills management skills will help support you.

09:33.675 --> 09:37.205
In the end. Everyone in the company needs to feel empowered

09:37.205 --> 09:40.205
to speak out when someone is bullying, harassing,

09:40.205 --> 09:41.405
or behaving inappropriately.

09:41.705 --> 09:43.965
Or it could just be my perception that that's

09:43.965 --> 09:45.325
how this person is treating me.

09:45.745 --> 09:47.125
But let's, let's have some way

09:47.125 --> 09:48.525
to sit down and work through that.

09:49.385 --> 09:51.245
Set some realistic and healthy boundaries,

09:51.905 --> 09:53.885
and then make sure that predators

09:54.145 --> 09:55.525
who do come into organizations,

09:55.585 --> 09:57.885
and I would say they're overrepresented statistically

09:57.985 --> 09:59.125
in the executive suite.

09:59.785 --> 10:02.885
Um, so maybe three to 5% of the,

10:03.225 --> 10:05.485
of the population would be considered kind of predatory.

10:05.485 --> 10:08.325
But in the executive suite, it's more like 12 to 15%.

10:09.105 --> 10:11.845
So the way to, fix that is just

10:11.845 --> 10:13.325
to make sure there's a lot of transparency

10:14.635 --> 10:16.495
and that no one is above the law.

10:16.595 --> 10:19.855
No one is above our expectations for appropriate treatment.

10:19.925 --> 10:21.935
Because if a predator can't get away

10:21.935 --> 10:23.695
with their bad behavior, they leave

10:24.115 --> 10:25.815
or they stop behaving that way.

10:26.065 --> 10:28.215
Since 2019, we've had so many things

10:28.375 --> 10:29.695
that happened that changed the world of work.

10:29.835 --> 10:32.855
Yes, the pandemic, but also the great recession.

10:33.145 --> 10:37.935
We've had a huge blossoming blossoming of L-G-B-T-Q,

10:37.935 --> 10:38.975
rights and in the workplace,

10:38.975 --> 10:40.095
those are coming into the workplace.

10:40.625 --> 10:42.735
We've had more recognition of neurodiversity,

10:43.195 --> 10:44.655
and that's what that's here to stay.

10:44.875 --> 10:47.935
And then how we, how we, again, get the, the best out

10:47.935 --> 10:50.375
of folks and help them reach their highest potential

10:50.635 --> 10:52.815
and use their unique talents, you know, appropriately.

10:53.435 --> 10:57.855
So we've had a lot of changes in the workplace that,

10:58.005 --> 11:00.135
that change how managers have to manage

11:00.995 --> 11:03.695
and change how companies kind of make space and,

11:04.155 --> 11:06.855
and, work with folks flexibility for folks

11:06.855 --> 11:09.135
who might need it at certain phases of their lives.

11:09.555 --> 11:13.575
Um, and, and recognizing that, so I wanna say that leaders

11:13.675 --> 11:16.615
and managers make their reputations not in the good times,

11:17.535 --> 11:20.475
but they make their reputations in the disasters, right?

11:20.475 --> 11:22.875
Nobody hears the name of a captain who ship doesn't sink,

11:22.875 --> 11:25.515
they only hear the name of a captain who ship sinks, right?

11:26.215 --> 11:28.915
Um, they also, you know, think of solely the, the movie,

11:28.915 --> 11:31.235
the airplane pilot guy who landed his, his,

11:31.325 --> 11:33.395
plane on the Potomac and everyone survived, right?

11:33.495 --> 11:36.155
The captain who steers their ship

11:36.155 --> 11:39.115
through a difficult circumstance becomes really

11:39.115 --> 11:40.315
well known and makes their brand.

11:40.575 --> 11:42.475
So what I try to do when I coach leaders

11:42.695 --> 11:45.155
and managers is to think about, you know, instead of

11:45.735 --> 11:49.345
what we call externalizing blame, instead of blaming,

11:49.405 --> 11:51.665
the supply chain problem, the great recession,

11:51.665 --> 11:53.125
all these things for my not reaching, reaching,

11:53.125 --> 11:56.485
meeting decent goals or not, not, achieving my mission.

11:56.875 --> 12:00.005
Instead we wanna say, what can you control? What can't?

12:00.005 --> 12:01.405
How can you take this situation

12:01.505 --> 12:03.165
and turn it to your competitive advantage?

12:03.825 --> 12:06.005
We can become a company where people want to work.

12:06.005 --> 12:07.685
When there's a, a shortage of employees,

12:07.985 --> 12:10.605
we can become a company where people grow

12:10.605 --> 12:12.605
and we develop the people we have into the

12:12.605 --> 12:13.685
people we need, right?

12:13.705 --> 12:16.565
So there's all kinds of ways that this can be turned around.

12:16.565 --> 12:19.525
And these challenges can become a competitive advantage

12:19.665 --> 12:22.365
for leaders and managers who stake their careers

12:22.365 --> 12:24.765
and reputations on their behavior in these difficult times.

12:25.305 --> 12:28.765
And for companies who have brand image around that,

12:29.105 --> 12:30.525
who are those employees?

12:30.525 --> 12:32.405
That employers that people want to go to?

12:32.905 --> 12:34.645
The law tends to, and I'm not a lawyer

12:34.665 --> 12:36.965
and I can't give legal advice as we all must say.

12:37.305 --> 12:38.605
Um, I will say this though,

12:38.605 --> 12:41.125
and I I'm a mediator, so I've worked in court situations

12:41.125 --> 12:43.765
and I have mediated almost 20,000 disputes related

12:43.765 --> 12:46.805
to employment, complaints, accident injury,

12:46.805 --> 12:50.165
workplace accidents, all kinds of, you know, kind of,

12:50.165 --> 12:51.605
cases that arise in the workplace.

12:52.025 --> 12:53.205
Um, class action, other things.

12:54.135 --> 12:56.735
I would say the law sets the minimum for

12:56.735 --> 12:57.775
what companies have to do.

12:58.235 --> 13:01.055
But right now, that's a little bit irrelevant.

13:01.355 --> 13:02.655
And I say that, I don't mean that we don't

13:02.655 --> 13:03.735
have to follow the law, of course we do.

13:04.175 --> 13:05.975
I mean, if you're gonna succeed, you have to go above

13:05.975 --> 13:07.215
and beyond the law, right?

13:07.665 --> 13:10.455
Right. Now the law says you don't have to give your

13:10.975 --> 13:12.655
employees coverage for certain kinds

13:12.655 --> 13:14.655
of medical care if it's against your values.

13:15.035 --> 13:17.495
But if you wanna attract employees from all different kinds

13:17.495 --> 13:19.535
of folks, maybe you, in a very practical

13:19.535 --> 13:21.095
way, you might do that, right?

13:21.395 --> 13:24.135
So we're seeing companies who, who do things like give,

13:25.255 --> 13:27.775
benefits to people who are, who are trying to adopt,

13:28.115 --> 13:30.155
that's not required or,

13:30.375 --> 13:32.675
or scholarships for your kids to help them go to college

13:32.815 --> 13:34.315
or for your own higher education.

13:34.495 --> 13:38.355
That's not required. But again, depending upon the kind

13:38.355 --> 13:40.315
of employee you're trying to attack, attract

13:40.315 --> 13:42.675
and retain, it may be something you wanna consider.

13:43.135 --> 13:44.715
So I would say at a minimum,

13:44.715 --> 13:46.515
however, we, I would just go back to law.

13:46.515 --> 13:48.195
We see companies with huge scandals.

13:48.485 --> 13:49.795
Think of Wells Fargo

13:49.795 --> 13:51.595
where they were opening accounts secretly.

13:51.885 --> 13:55.435
Think of a while back when the Uber CEO got ousted from a

13:55.595 --> 13:58.235
revolution from below, because he was sexually

13:58.235 --> 13:59.435
harassing many, many people.

14:00.325 --> 14:03.035
Those organizations knew they had a problem

14:03.695 --> 14:05.875
and they didn't fix it over and over

14:05.895 --> 14:07.075
and over and their brand.

14:07.135 --> 14:08.795
To this day, I know people who won't.

14:08.855 --> 14:11.395
And, and I, I don't mean to malign any particular company.

14:11.765 --> 14:13.915
There are people who won't buy certain products

14:14.055 --> 14:15.835
or services based on a scandal

14:15.835 --> 14:17.715
that might have happened 10 or 15 or 20 years ago.

14:18.215 --> 14:20.075
So those things linger.

14:20.735 --> 14:23.355
So we wanna make sure that we have systems in place

14:23.775 --> 14:25.955
to respond effectively, protect our brand,

14:26.135 --> 14:27.315
and protect our people.

14:27.505 --> 14:28.875
Because again, it's you gotta

14:28.875 --> 14:30.075
put your money where your mouth is.

14:30.615 --> 14:32.275
And companies think in the short term,

14:32.275 --> 14:33.755
they're losing money if they let go

14:33.755 --> 14:35.875
of a key employee who's behaving badly,

14:36.295 --> 14:37.755
if they can't get their behavior to change,

14:38.295 --> 14:41.155
but they're really not, when they really do the accounting

14:41.155 --> 14:44.675
and they look at how many other people quit or file lawsuits

14:44.895 --> 14:45.995
or damage the brand,

14:46.135 --> 14:47.235
or go on social media,

14:48.095 --> 14:51.315
if you really take those things into account, then,

14:51.625 --> 14:54.075
then we're really saving money by being proactive

14:54.175 --> 14:56.555
and shaping the incentive structures in the organization

14:57.415 --> 14:59.555
to guide behavior in a positive direction.

00:00 - So my last book came out in 2019, and I wanna almost check it out because the world of work has completely changed since 2019. we, in fact, there's more things that have changed than have stayed the same. So I've been doing consulting with big

00:15 - and small organizations from the International Monetary Fund to American Family Physicians and everything in between. And, usually we're, and sports teams and, and entertainment groups. And what I typically notice is that, teams don't, they struggle to have, unified vision for how they wanna move forward. And they all might know where they wanna end up, but they all have different ideas about how to get there. And since 2019, we've got remote work and,

00:44 - and hybrid work. We've got generational conflict like we've never seen before. We have a tight labor market, which has turned on its head a lot of things that we thought we knew about management leadership. And so, in the work I've been doing with organizations and really, really this has been developed from the ground up because I've developed, processes and tools to work through conflict

01:05 - and have teams, realize better outcomes. and that's happened. Every organization has some similar conflicts and some different conflicts. So, a lot of these conflicts and problems are different since, since before 2019. So that's why I've, I've written this book and it has a bigger focus on managers as leaders, and kind of the difference when to be a leader, when to be a manager.

01:29 - 'cause sometimes you have to go back and forth between those roles, depending upon the room you're in and whether or not you're the, the person in the middle, the top or the bottom in that room. and so, so it's really focused on how to respond as a leader manager with the current challenges we have. People think about conflict management in organizations. Things like, if you have an employment dispute, you might go to arbitration if you're a union member,

01:51 - or you might use mediation, or you might have some other way to kind of formally, informally address conflict. But what we're really talking about in conflict management in organizations is how do we create, systems, processes and cultures that encourage good behavior and encourage people working through their differences collaboratively? 'cause conflict is just part of human life. I say it's like air, the air quality can be good,

02:16 - or the air quality can be bad, but there's always air. So the conflict is like that conflict can make your environment positive or negative depending on how you handle it. So what we're trying to do is get people to see the positive, potential in conflict because conflict brings change and change brings conflict. They go together. So we're seeing a lot more conflict in organizations in the last few years because we've seen such rapid changes.

02:40 - And the companies that have decided to kind of get on board and not be conflict avoidant and figure out and teach their people how to constructively make decisions together and constructively get through differences. Those companies have a competitive advantage. They retain employees, they keep their employees engaged. They're more innovative Because people share ideas. So really, conflict management is how

03:02 - to get the be in organizations. It's about how to get the best out of every employee so that you can achieve that mission together and just have a more joyful, wonderful environment where people get up and they're happy to be there. which is possible, you know, it really can happen if you're doing it right. And I have to say, my son, I, I mentioned him in the acknowledgements. I have a son that's in college now, and he would come home

03:24 - and say, we would talk a lot about the environment he's working in. and he has been working in a majority minority environment, and he has learned a lot through that. And in the work I've been doing, I've been working in a lot of organizations where just because of generational change, the leaders at the highest level and the managers at the highest level don't always

03:44 - demographically match the people they are managing. And at the same time, sometimes we'll have a 30 year old manager supervising 65 year old employees, right? So we're seeing just all kinds of generational change and diversity change and what really matters here, what we wanna get past is this kind of silliness of tolerating diversity. And, and these kind of, let's have a Cinco de Mayo party, you know, like struggle. I struggle with that. What we want instead

04:12 - is we want organizations that let everyone be themselves at work. If you're gay, you're gay, bring it. You know, if you've got three kids, and that's part of what you talk about at work, great. If you know whatever it is, right? If you have some interesting hobby that you want to talk about, whatever it is your background, whether you are, an immigrant or you were born here, you know,

04:34 - and your family's been here for generations, whatever it is, you bring your whole identity to work. And we in, we're interested in really getting to know each other as human beings and as individuals. And one of the parts of the research for this book is I've asked hundreds of managers, what they think makes them a good manager or not. And then I've asked thousands of employees the same question, and there is a mismatch. So about, 53% of managers say they are above average

05:00 - and only 8% of employees rate their manager as above average. This is called the Dunning Kruger effect. There's actually a word for it. We are not objective in our own performance. So one of the things we wanna do is make sure that managers are getting to know their employees on an individual level. And then instead of treating everyone the same, you are literally talking to employees

05:20 - and negotiating that relationship. What is it you need? Do you need flexibility in your work schedule right now? Do you need professional development? Do you wanna move up? What is it each employee wants? Sometimes somebody wants to come clock in eight hours, do their job and go home. And as long as they're doing it, okay, that's okay too, right? Maybe that's where they're at right now.

05:39 - So diversity is really about helping employees reach their full potential and, and connecting with them on a human level. And managers who do that have a huge competitive advantage right now in this tight labor market where we have the great resignation and where people and companies are competing for labor. And if I can can say this, I recently worked with a unnamed multinational corporation that has a huge problem attracting enough talent

06:03 - in a very competitive scientific industry where there's a shortage of people that do what they need them to do. And what they found is they have a real problem attracting and keeping people who are not kind of from what we'll call traditionally empowered groups, and they realize they're actually not getting the best talent and they have jobs that are going unfilled because it's their company has not been perceived as a destination employer or one that is, welcoming.

06:30 - And interestingly, we've done some research that indicates in companies that are score, that score high on levels of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Even traditionally, empowered groups, we'll say, even older white men, for example, are happier in those organizations because they're kinder, more personable organizations, they're more humane organizations. So we're learning, it's,

06:53 - it's not like a a zero sum or a trade off. really embracing the, the humanness of workers is part of the future workplace. And that is a struggle for folks who've been, I'm 54, so when I started to work, we were, I was glad to have that job 'cause I came of age in a recession, right? It's very different. If you come of age in a, in a time when there's a shortage of employees, especially educated employees, you have much more bargaining power.

07:20 - And instead of arguing about how things should be or how employees should look or act or behave, we really need to kind of figure out, how do we make sure that this is a place where everybody feels they can belong and contribute. So I wanna say, regardless of how work gets done and with technology, whether folks are working fully face-to-face, or they're hybrid or they're remote, or there's, all kinds of, first of all,

07:44 - we wanna be co I would just, I'm gonna speak for companies. Companies should want to be the kind of company that in general their employees say good things about. And that one, one of the kind of important questions that we ask on employee surveys is, would you recommend this as a place to work? And if too many of your employees say, no, that's not about them, that's about you. So what we want to do, of course you can't please everybody, and you'll always have,

08:07 - there's a chapter in the book on working with difficult people. So you may have the, you know, the person who has that dark cloud around them wherever they go, and my goodness, everything's terrible. There's certain ways to work with those people and certain things they're really, really good at. Like, finding errors and auditing, or being, you know, you're, you're troubleshooter, they're great at that.

08:26 - So we want to, make sure that folks, regardless of how they're working and the role of technology in their job, again, they're able to feel like they're fully engaged in the team. And ironically, allegations and complaints, formal complaints, with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission went up, complaints of bullying and harassment went up during the Covid pandemic, which is ironic 'cause

08:48 - for a while everybody was working online. So how does it happen? Well, it turns out, when people are kind of, of isolated from each other and your boss is just calling you on the phone or zooming you, and if it's not being recorded, they can say things they would never say in a face-to-face environment. And people might also have, you know, they're, they were a little impatient and tired and overwhelmed and stressed.

09:09 - And again, that doesn't lead to great behavior. But we wanna be thoughtful about how do we actually create a culture that's bully proof, that's predator proof, where we have company-wide and leader set this tone company-wide expectations for how people will behave. And then we support their skills so that they can actually do it right? This is how we expect you to behave. And if you don't have those skills yet, social skills

09:30 - or other skills management skills will help support you. In the end. Everyone in the company needs to feel empowered to speak out when someone is bullying, harassing, or behaving inappropriately. Or it could just be my perception that that's how this person is treating me. But let's, let's have some way to sit down and work through that. Set some realistic and healthy boundaries, and then make sure that predators

09:54 - who do come into organizations, and I would say they're overrepresented statistically in the executive suite. so maybe three to 5% of the, of the population would be considered kind of predatory. But in the executive suite, it's more like 12 to 15%. So the way to, fix that is just to make sure there's a lot of transparency and that no one is above the law. No one is above our expectations for appropriate treatment.

10:19 - Because if a predator can't get away with their bad behavior, they leave or they stop behaving that way. Since 2019, we've had so many things that happened that changed the world of work. Yes, the pandemic, but also the great recession. We've had a huge blossoming blossoming of L-G-B-T-Q, rights and in the workplace, those are coming into the workplace. We've had more recognition of neurodiversity,

10:43 - and that's what that's here to stay. And then how we, how we, again, get the, the best out of folks and help them reach their highest potential and use their unique talents, you know, appropriately. So we've had a lot of changes in the workplace that, that change how managers have to manage and change how companies kind of make space and, and, work with folks flexibility for folks who might need it at certain phases of their lives. and, and recognizing that, so I wanna say that leaders

11:13 - and managers make their reputations not in the good times, but they make their reputations in the disasters, right? Nobody hears the name of a captain who ship doesn't sink, they only hear the name of a captain who ship sinks, right? they also, you know, think of solely the, the movie, the airplane pilot guy who landed his, his, plane on the Potomac and everyone survived, right? The captain who steers their ship through a difficult circumstance becomes really well known and makes their brand.

11:40 - So what I try to do when I coach leaders and managers is to think about, you know, instead of what we call externalizing blame, instead of blaming, the supply chain problem, the great recession, all these things for my not reaching, reaching, meeting decent goals or not, not, achieving my mission. Instead we wanna say, what can you control? What can't? How can you take this situation and turn it to your competitive advantage? We can become a company where people want to work.

12:06 - When there's a, a shortage of employees, we can become a company where people grow and we develop the people we have into the people we need, right? So there's all kinds of ways that this can be turned around. And these challenges can become a competitive advantage for leaders and managers who stake their careers and reputations on their behavior in these difficult times. And for companies who have brand image around that, who are those employees?

12:30 - That employers that people want to go to? The law tends to, and I'm not a lawyer and I can't give legal advice as we all must say. I will say this though, and I I'm a mediator, so I've worked in court situations and I have mediated almost 20,000 disputes related to employment, complaints, accident injury, workplace accidents, all kinds of, you know, kind of, cases that arise in the workplace. class action, other things.

12:54 - I would say the law sets the minimum for what companies have to do. But right now, that's a little bit irrelevant. And I say that, I don't mean that we don't have to follow the law, of course we do. I mean, if you're gonna succeed, you have to go above and beyond the law, right? Right. Now the law says you don't have to give your employees coverage for certain kinds of medical care if it's against your values.

13:15 - But if you wanna attract employees from all different kinds of folks, maybe you, in a very practical way, you might do that, right? So we're seeing companies who, who do things like give, benefits to people who are, who are trying to adopt, that's not required or, or scholarships for your kids to help them go to college or for your own higher education. That's not required. But again, depending upon the kind of employee you're trying to attack, attract

13:40 - and retain, it may be something you wanna consider. So I would say at a minimum, however, we, I would just go back to law. We see companies with huge scandals. Think of Wells Fargo where they were opening accounts secretly. Think of a while back when the Uber CEO got ousted from a revolution from below, because he was sexually harassing many, many people. Those organizations knew they had a problem

14:03 - and they didn't fix it over and over and over and their brand. To this day, I know people who won't. And, and I, I don't mean to malign any particular company. There are people who won't buy certain products or services based on a scandal that might have happened 10 or 15 or 20 years ago. So those things linger. So we wanna make sure that we have systems in place to respond effectively, protect our brand,

14:26 - and protect our people. Because again, it's you gotta put your money where your mouth is. And companies think in the short term, they're losing money if they let go of a key employee who's behaving badly, if they can't get their behavior to change, but they're really not, when they really do the accounting and they look at how many other people quit or file lawsuits or damage the brand,

14:46 - or go on social media, if you really take those things into account, then, then we're really saving money by being proactive and shaping the incentive structures in the organization to guide behavior in a positive direction.

Faculti AI can make mistakes