Considering Cutbacks? Conflict Gives You Choices!

Economic times are bad! Finances are tight! I can’t afford to carry these people!

Sound familiar? If you add your energy to this choir of voices in conflict, you are actually creating a reality that you don’t want! How DO you deal with conflict and financial realities without adding your “energy” to a downward spiral?

When change happens – like tight money – loss – unexpected events – don’t you tend to contract, restrict, reserve, withdraw and withhold resources? Wait a minute! Take a deep breath and look around you. The greatest resource you have is the people around you – employees, clients, family and friends.

When budgets get tight, stress increases, conflict escalates and relationships suffer. How do we resolve these tensions? Believe it or not, this is a gift that can bring greater understanding and a more urgent motivation to make changes that you might ignore otherwise.

NOW is the time to call upon the “human” resources - the people around you - and engage with them in some practical problem solving. Your collective creativity in addressing everyone’s needs together not only increases chances for survival and success, it also creates a greater sense of “community.”

Necessity can be a powerful force towards cooperation because of a need to survive together. Ironically, adverse conditions can be the most effective tool to bring out your best gifts and the best gifts of the people around you.

Consider these FOUR TIPS to make the most of seemingly adverse conditions!

1. More and better communication! Just communicating more doesn’t help unless it’s different, better – in a word effective! Just talking about your own pain and hardships won’t cut it. This may demonstrate your willingness to appear vulnerable which some will admire; it also escalates fear for others as they think “but what about me?”

2. Authentic communication! There’s an old saying that you can learn more by listening than you can by talking. Haven’t you found that to be true? Better communications have several attributes that are worth mastering. Remember these three communication tools:
a) Talking shows our involvement.
b) Listening shows we care.
c) Asking questions to learn more about what others think and feel demonstrates a desire to truly understand.

3. Be congruent! Does your behavior match your words? Do you say what you mean and mean what you say? Have you promoted team work in the past and now are relying solely on your personal sense of responsibility which calls for a Command-type of decision making? Nothing builds trust and community like being congruent. When others help create the solution, they will help support it! You don’t have to have all the answers by yourself. You do have to have the courage to ask and listen.

4. Change the Energy around you! If you are considering cutting back, cutting out, or pricing up to navigate turbulent times, think again! Think outside the box! NOW may be the perfect time to outsource some idea creation and facilitation - to actually upscale your human resources! You know you have abilities and potential but you can’t see the forest for the trees! Explore the possibilities of a Team Approach to the issues you and your business are facing. Talk with a human resources and communication consultant/coach to explore your strengths, your brilliance and your open pathways. Gain an objective guide to see how you can empower and capitalize on the creativity of your employees - or your clients - to co-create a solution that you can’t envision by yourself.

A Surprising Lesson from my own experience!

As a school principal, I learned an amazing lesson from a faculty team I was charged with leading. Finances tightened to the point of being directed by the superintendent that there were no funds for supplies and no funds for substitute teachers! Thinking that I had to be a strong leader and figure out what all of us would have to do, I dutifully informed the staff about the cutbacks, proposed how I would try to cover classes when they were sick as best I could and explained how I would be less available to them for other things they counted on me as a principal to do.

Imagine my surprise when the staff came to me and shared that they had all come together and created a plan where everyone picked up some portion of what had to be done when someone needed to be absent. They said they needed to be able count on me to do the things they expected from a principal. It was beautiful! Together – our combined “human” resources created solutions that I could not envision by myself. And the staff gave their full hearts in support of our solutions.