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Articles by Margaret Meloni

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94 articles by Margaret Meloni · showing 50

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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

***Can't We All Just Get Along

No, we cannot all get along all of the time. It is unrealistic to think that all team members will absolutely agree with you or with each other all of the time. If every time you are together, there is never any disagreement, look out - you have problems. Sure, maybe the first time you meet you are on your best behavior. But if this persists, perhaps you have a tendency toward getting along. This means you value being agreeable over other traits. Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with being accommodating.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

***Make YOUR OWN Paradise

My husband turned to me and said, "Everyone here is so nice and so relaxed and so happy". I thought about it for a minute and replied, "Well if you can't be happy here, where can YOU be happy?" The HERE in "Well if you can't be happy here..." was one of the most beautiful tropical islands in the world. My thought was how could a person be unhappy when they are in the middle of paradise?

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

Are You in Control?

The scene below depicts Jane and her behavior while in a bad mood. In this potential scenario Jane is being really hateful: “Do you think you could stop surfing the web long enough to get me a latte? I would hate to think your horoscope for the day includes bad customer service.” For some reason, snapping at the coffee house barista made Jane feel just a bit better. Jane slammed some money on the counter and waited for her coffee.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

***It Starts with YOUR Attention

The act of compassion begins with full attention, just as rapport does. You have to really see the person. If you see the person, then naturally, empathy arises. If you tune into the other person, you feel with them. If empathy arises and if that person is in dire need, then empathic conce can come. You want to help them, and then that begins a compassionate act. So I'd say that compassion begins with attention. - Daniel Goleman

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

Garbage In, Garbage Out

It’s the end of a long day. You started the day early in order to meet a deadline and you ended the day late to meet that same deadline. The good news is that you reached your goal. The bad news is that traffic on the way home was miserable. When you arrive home you can’t wait to sit on the couch and just be a vegetable. Some mindless entertainment sounds perfect. Now it is Friday evening and it has been one tough week. You had planned to attend a seminar Saturday morning, but now you think it would feel better to sleep late.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

Avoid Communications Chaos

We have so many different ways to communicate with one another. We can pick up the phone and call using either a land line or a cell phone; we can send an email or a text using our computers or our various handheld devices and we can ‘tweet’ and ‘friend’ and make all kinds of connections AND we can still send a written note on an actual piece of paper. Does having all of these options make communications easier? Not necessarily. Sometimes we still experience communication chaos.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

***You Decide to Resolve a Conflict, Now What?

You have observed a conflict between some of your team members and you realize you are the right person to help them reach a resolution. How do you KNOW this? You have carefully considered the situation, perhaps using “Can You SHOULD You Help Resolve the Conflicts Around You?” as your guide. Your next move is all abut the HOW, as-in HOW to move forward. The optimal scenario is that you are able to prepare in advance. Today we are going to look at the first few steps to take to help you prepare.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

***5 Tips to Keep the Peace this Holiday Season

Did you blink? Here it is again, another holiday season! Do you love this time of year or do you dread it? Perhaps your feelings are a bit mixed. Your holiday experience can be really upsetting, tiring and stressful OR your holiday season can truly be one of peace and joy. The choice is up to YOU. Your thoughts and actions during this time will define your holiday experience. You cannot control the thoughts and actions of others, but you can take control of your own thoughts and actions.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

YOU are a Risk

Each day you bring strengths and weaknesses to work. You walk into the room (virtual or otherwise) with what makes you unique. Or as the saying goes, wherever you go, there you are. That is a good thing. It is all of the elements that make you, well you; that differentiate you from others. You cannot escape yourself, but you can GROW yourself. Remember that the definition of a risk includes both positive and negative events that impact the success of your project. Let’s update that in terms of what it means to you:

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

***Are YOU Playing to YOUR Strengths?

“Oh no, here we go again” thought Joe as his Quality Assurance Analyst Heidi approached him with his memo, complete with typos circled in red ink. He was not really annoyed by Heidi, she was just doing what she does; he mainly felt embarrassed. After all as the leader shouldn’t all of his work be perfect? He tried, he really did, but editing his own writing was just boring to him and not one of his strengths.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

The Art of No

“The art of leadership is saying no, not saying yes. It is very easy to say yes.” – Tony Blair No is not always negative. It is not a bad or incorrect response. Saying no does not make you a difficult or uncooperative person. Read that again, out loud. Saying no is more honest than a false yes, it will help you develop clarity about your intentions and it really sets you free.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

***Can You Schedule Conflict?

Recently we have discussed steps to take to when you decide to step in and step up to conflict resolution. In ‘You Decide to Resolve a Conflict’ Part I and Part II one of the underlying assumptions was that you had time to plan your actions and the steps you would take to resolve the conflict.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

Please, Make a Decision

Over lunch, Jacob and Marilyn discussed some of the frustrations they were experiencing on one of their current projects. Jacob was a business analyst on the project and Marilyn was the subject matter expert. Jacob turned to Marilyn and said to her, “If you could say just one thing to Tom our project manager, what would it be?” Without hesitation Marilyn replied, “Please, make a decision.”

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

***Be Impeccable with Your Word

“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me.” Do any of you remember that charming little childhood chant? It was meant to ward off the cruel verbal taunts we received from other children. Sometimes kids can be very harsh with their teasing. Sometimes adults can be very harsh with their words too. And the above childhood chant, well sometimes it may have helped you but most of the time it You see words are a very powerful tool. Expressing our thoughts as words is one of the strongest powers we possess as human beings.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

Creatures of Habit

Jeanette and Rusty left work early to compare notes. Both of them worked for the same director and both of them were unhappy with their performance reviews. Jeanette had tried to discreetly ask her peers about their performance reviews, but Rusty seemed to be the only other manager who was upset. Over a glass of wine, Jeanette began her rant: “I think that every year the boss has to have at least two people who receive poor appraisals or he just doesn’t think he is being tough enough.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

***How a Cup of Coffee Can Ruin Your Day

Danielle left the house with just five minutes to spare. It would have been better if she had left ten or fifteen minutes early because she wanted to stop and buy a cup of coffee. She decided that she could probably get in and out of the coffee house within seven minutes and that being just two minutes late to work was perfectly acceptable. Then Danielle drove to the coffee house. When Danielle arrived at the coffee house the line seemed manageable. But quickly Danielle was able to see that she was going to be late.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

Your Boss is Human

This just in, you report to a human being! Whether or not she lets you see her human side or not, she has pressures, stresses, fears, and insecurities just like you do. So don’t think for a minute that just because someone has a director or a vice-president in their title that they have no worries. Take the time the time to understand the likes and dislikes of your management and do what you can to cater to them. There are some easy things you can do that some of the people around you are not doing.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

***Can YOU, SHOULD YOU, help resolve the conflicts around you?

Maybe you've mastered conflict resolution and you like to help others. Maybe you are the one that others come to for help when they have a conflict or you work in an environment where conflict occurs regularly. But somehow you find yourself stepping in and helping to resolve the conflicts around you. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? It depends. It certainly makes more sense for you to be involved in healthy conflict as opposed to unhealthy conflict. And today we will focus on healthy conflict. What is healthy conflict?

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

***3 Ways to Deal with Differences

"There are three ways of dealing with difference: domination, compromise, and integration. By domination only one side gets what it wants; by compromise neither side gets what it wants; by integration we find a way by which both sides may get what they wish..." Mary Parker Follett The above quote is an ideal reminder that there are multiple ways to deal with conflict. Is there a bias being displayed about the best way to resolve a conflict? Sure, in this instance the favored approach is integration.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

***Bringing it ALL to Work

I remember it like it was yesterday. I still remember this supervisor looking at me and yelling, “WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU WOULD NOT CHOOSE THE MINISTER?” Ok, Ok – this is a pretty old memory (from the late 1980’s), so it could be that I don’t have the details quite right. Maybe she did not really yell and maybe everyone in the room did not turn and stare at me and maybe I did not turn beet red. Or maybe some of this is how it really happened.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

***What are the Five Conflict Resolution Modes?

And which one do you use most often? When you understand how you handle conflict, you can begin to understand when your approach is effective and when it is not. Then you can learn to adapt your behavior and draw from different conflict resolutions styles as-needed. There are five conflict handling modes and one of these is your preferred mode. These five modes come from the TKI or Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument. What is the TKI? The TKI is a questionnaire designed to measure how you tend to handle inter-personal conflict.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

Where Are You Coming From?

Have you ever looked at someone and thought, “I have no clue what this person is talking about.” Maybe you even have specifically thought, “Where is this person coming from?” You were not questioning their place of origin. What you were questioning was their perspective.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

***Should YOU AVOID Conflict?

Most of the times you do not want conflict to go unaddressed. It is your job as a leader to ensure that your team engages in healthy and productive conflict and to make sure that conflict is not ignored. After all desperately hoping that an issue will just go away is a great way to turn a small issue into a gigantic problem! Then why is avoiding conflict is one of the recognized modes of conflict resolution as defined by the TKI or Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument?

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

I Already Know That!

“Years ago, I tried to top everybody, but I don't anymore, I realized it was killing conversation. When you're always trying for a topper you aren't really listening. It ruins communication. “ Groucho Marx “I already know that.” Now there is a phrase that does not encourage conversation. In fact if someone approaches you to speak with you and you hit them with an “I already know that”; you might as well say “Go away” or “I don’t care what you think”. You just killed the conversation.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

***Conflict and You

Do you and the people you work with share the exact same beliefs, perspectives, priorities and goals? Probably not. Hmmm, I guess that means you are going to experience conflict. Conflict is a condition in which people’s conce s appear to be incompatible. In fact since you and your co-workers are not intellectual and emotional clones of one another, conflict is inevitable. Conflict is a natural byproduct of our environment. Conflict is not inherently bad or evil (although some of us have been taught to avoid conflict like the plague). Conflict does not have to lead to fighting.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

***Conflict Takes Courage

Last year there was an unfortunate incident at a military base in the United States. I am talking about Fort Hood. An individual started shooting people. Within hearing range of the shooting a graduation ceremony was taking place. Attending the graduation were medics and other trained personnel. In the midst of this sad crisis, something interesting happened. Many of the participants in the graduation ceremony heard the gunfire and dropped everything and ran towards it.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

Principled Negotiations

So much of your life is a negotiation. At home you negotiate your children's bed times, what time dinner will be ready, whose family you visit for the holidays and many other items. At work you negotiate difficult deadlines, impossible budgets and over-allocated resources (including your own over-allocation).

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

Causing a Scene

Scene 1, Take 1 In this movie version of 'The Life of a Team Member' (working title); the camera pans slowly across what appears to be a corporate office. We see workers dressed in business casual walking the hallways, coming in and out of conference rooms and sitting in cubicles. Two team members are talking outside a conference room door. As the camera closes in on the two we hear their conversation:

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

***The Face of Conflict

One of the more common definitions of conflict is that it is a clash between two (or more) opposing groups or that it is a power struggle or a battle between opposing forces. When you think of conflict, you may think of it as a negative (think power struggle or battle) or you may think that it must always be about other people. Some of you may go as far as to believe that if it were not for other people you would never have to deal with conflict. Today, I ask you to consider a few questions.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

***The Big Cover Up

All of a sudden Sam had that ‘I think I forgot something feeling’, the feeling that makes some of us feel just a little bit sick to our stomachs or perhaps brings on a cold sweat. Then he realized what it was, he had completely forgotten to tell his project steering committee about the change request that the branch office had given to him when he visited their facility two weeks ago. The branch manager’s administrative assistant had handed him a hardcopy as he was leaving for the airport.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

***You are Doing Your Best

If you follow sports you have noticed that top athletes do not always perform consistently. A world class runner may break a world record in one competition and then not even place in the same event one week later. A champion weight lifter might break a record and then be unable to lift that same weight for several workouts. These are professionals, champions, stars - why can't they demonstrate peak performance every time? Aren't they giving it their all each time? Well, they are doing their best. There is nothing wrong.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

***Why YOU avoid YOUR Resolutions and What to Do About it

Here is a New Year’s resolution you almost never hear: “This year I vow to keep everything the same, I am going to weigh the same, exercise the same, talk to all of the same people and be exactly the same.” New Year’s resolutions are about change and sometimes change is difficult. Let’s explore some of the reason you make and then avoid (or don’t keep) those resolutions. One reason for making resolutions is peer pressure. The people around us expect us to make resolutions for the New Year.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

The Art of No

“The art of leadership is saying no, not saying yes. It is very easy to say yes.” – Tony Blair No is not always negative. It is not a bad or incorrect response. Saying no does not make you a difficult or uncooperative person. Read that again, out loud. Saying no is more honest than a false yes, it will help you develop clarity about your intentions and it really sets you free.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

***It's Not Personal

Sally looked at Mary Carol and said, "Wow how did you do that? How did you just brush it off, I mean Jim just got in your face and told you that he hates working with you. And you are just as calm and collected as ever." Mary Carol looked at Sally and said, "Well I am really not taking it personally." Sally was flabbergasted. "How can you NOT take that personally?" she asked. Mary Carol shared her beliefs about taking things personally: "What other people say and do, is really a reflection of them. The decisions people make about their own behavior is really about themselves.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

Please Interrupt Yourself

You know that interrupting someone when they are speaking is really rude. If you have children you have probably worked very hard to teach them to say “Excuse me”, before they break into conversations. What about interrupting you? I wish you would.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

***The Face of Conflict

One of the more common definitions of conflict is that it is a clash between two (or more) opposing groups or that it is a power struggle or a battle between opposing forces. When you think of conflict, you may think of it as a negative (think power struggle or battle) or you may think that it must always be about other people. Some of you may go as far as to believe that if it were not for other people you would never have to deal with conflict. Today, I ask you to consider a few questions.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

***3 Ways Your EQ Resolves Conflict

Your Emotional Intelligence can help make or break you. After all your Emotional Intelligence or EQ is your ability to handle yourself and others. It is all about your ability to get along with others and build relationships. In today’s world it is not enough to be good at the technical aspects of your job, if you really want to separate yourself from the pack you need to get along well with others too! Getting along well with others also means that you can face conflict with the people around you and keep those relationships intact.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

How to Be Wrong

I need to tell you something. I hope you don’t mind. You see, what I have to tell you might not be something you want to know. But here goes, “You are not always right.” This is my polite way of telling you that sometimes you are wrong.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

***Bringing it ALL to Work

I remember it like it was yesterday. I still remember this supervisor looking at me and yelling, “WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU WOULD NOT CHOOSE THE MINISTER?” Ok, Ok – this is a pretty old memory (from the late 1980’s), so it could be that I don’t have the details quite right. Maybe she did not really yell and maybe everyone in the room did not turn and stare at me and maybe I did not turn beet red. Or maybe some of this is how it really happened. In any case it was definitely one of my first lessons in how ALL of our various belief systems come to work with us.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

***YOUR Time

Question, what is the resource that you cannot acquire more of? Do you think it is money? Do you think it is a specific type of skilled labor or a certain type of raw material? NO! Although you or your company might be feeling financially challenged you can find ways to earn money, you can find labor and other resources. The answer is T-I-M-E, TIME!

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

***Things to Do Today: Ask for Help

“Go ahead and tell me the steps you will take to complete this assignment.” This is the question that none of my early supervisors ever asked me on the job. And boy was I relieved that they never asked this question. Why? Because I had no clue! When I was new on the job I was afraid to ask questions or to admit what I did not know. I would run back to my cubicle and frantically search for the information I needed to complete my new assignment.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

Hairs Looking at You Kid

There I was, brand new on the project, replacing a project manager who had vanished into thin air. I was beginning to envy him his vanishing act. I could see that the project had been ridiculously under estimated. I was not just new to the project, I was also new to the consulting firm I was representing. Oh and I had been told I would not be assigned to run any client projects until after three to four months of home office training and assisting other project managers.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
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***Be Honest about YOUR Boundaries

Is this you? You start working for somebody new and you want to make a good impression. Maybe you start carrying your BlackBerry with you everywhere and you answer them all night and all weekend. Every time they send you something, you answer them whether or not you are on call. As time goes by you find that you are becoming annoyed by the people you work with. What is up with them? They call you or text you all hours of the day and night. When you do not answer right away they keep sending you message after message. You find yourself become ever more irritable.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

Are You Aware?

Scene One: “Do you think you could stop surfing the web long enough to get me a latte? I would hate to think your horoscope for the day includes bad customer service.” For some reason, snapping at the coffee house barista made Jane feel just a bit better. Jane slammed some money on the counter and waited for her coffee. When it was ready she picked it up and marched out of the coffee house, letting the door close in the face of the person walking out behind her. Wow, Jane really seems to be in a bad mood.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
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By Margaret MeloniRecently published1 topic

***YOU are a Role Model

“To observe people in conflict is a necessary part of a child's education. It helps him to understand and accept his own occasional hostilities and to realize that differing opinions need not imply an absence of love.” … Milton R Sapirstein When children can see others disagree and disagree with respect and they see that nothing bad happens, what a terrific example! Disagreement is part of life. Becoming upset is part of life.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
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That was a Decision, Really?

Tom was not surprised when Jacob and Marilyn asked for a private meeting with him. He had a hunch that some of the team was displeased with him. He thought of Jacob and Marilyn as ‘unofficial’ team leaders. They seemed to be the two people who his team members looked to for professional guidance. Tom had mixed feeling about his upcoming meeting with the two of them. On the one hand it would be a relief to find out what was wrong and on the other hand, well he was going to find out what was wrong.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
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***Choose YOUR Battles

“Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win. “ Jonathan Kozol: On Being a Teacher, 1981 Truthfully I do not know if I completely agree with the above quote, I bring it to you anyway because part of me thinks, ‘well this makes sense, I want to pick battles I can win’; but part of me wonders, ‘is this discouraging me from thinking big?’ I have spent so much time learning that so many of us really under estimate ourselves, that I would never want the above to be an excuse for playing it too safe or not fully utilizing our potential.

Primary topic: Conflict Resolution
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