Navigating Workplace Offenses...Reality Check

Are you content with the way you handle offenses at work? If you aren’t, continue listening because the three concepts explored in this podcast will turn your career around, and the concepts are easy to implement. You control them, which has you driving your outcome--not anyone else!

ThriveWithNancy Podcast addresses the tricky points you run into daily as a woman executive. Nancy Fredericks shares all the secrets she's acquired as an experienced thought leader. She's passionate about sharing practical, insider solutions with women executives to tap into on your way to achieving all of your career hopes and dreams.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Ever offended at work? If you have been, you'll wanna stay tuned to what I have to say today and welcome to the Thrive with Nancy podcast, which will have us drilling into navigating workplace offense with a reality check for all of us in the corporate world, it's rare to find an executive who hasn't experienced some level of friction at work that has you resenting the situation, mightily it fate , like an emotional germs spreading unhealthiness across your professional landscape. What is it about our business culture that seems to be the perfect incubator for thoughtless, insensitive, and hurtful interactions? Well, first, business intentionally promotes diversity for strategic reasons, creating an ideal breeding ground for fronts to ensue. Our work environment has bosses, coworkers , and customers mentally responding to circumstances from a competing point of view rather than a cooperative point of view that can try anyone's last nerve. Secondly, effectively navigating our multi-generational landscape with employees from distinct backgrounds, attitudes, cultures, and with widely varying values. Poses unique challenges, ones that are difficult to prepare for. Third, adding to the complexity surveys and research reveals that the younger employees are more sensitive to these triggering offense events. Not to mention the perception that the older generation is <laugh> and may actually be set in the ways and resistant to change. All of this sets a stage for opinion clashes to happen. Fourth, our frazzled melting pot is conducive for breeding a high speed workforce stretched thin on emotional tender hooks all the time, not ready to adding sensitivity to their playlist. Even the slightest of issues will set employees off. I must tell you, you are living in a fantasy dream sequence if you expect work ever to take place in an offense free zone. No matter how hard everyone tries, there's always going to be some casualty to the offense war. What actions and attitudes can you bring to the relationship that will generate a favorable work community? One, avoiding offense. I know this is tough advice, and yet when you slam into firmly held opinions that don't match your own, consider maintaining a respectful, authentic approach. While carefully listening, as you express your views,

Speaker 2: 2:58

Gauge their reaction. Kindness is one of the most advantageous attitudes you can bring to work for. It will have you stretching yourself to understand conflicting perspectives, and this enables you to see new ways of handling these awful difficult situations. So you now have an overview of the breeding ground for offense and what you can do to co generate a healthy workplace. How about test driving some additional tactics that I have in mind? Everything rests in your head. What I mean by this is how your world shows up has more to do with the meaning you attach to the events than what really happened when you allow yourself to be offended. And did you hear that? Allow yourself. You are operating on a purely emotional level in an environment that doesn't reward feelings, rather yields less production, increases worry and complaining. <laugh> not good is it? And it does nothing but keep you off balance, producing very little. You know that old story about twins who were told there was a surprise waiting for them. Behind that door, one twin opens the door saying, yuck, horse manure. This isn't a gift at all. You played a mean trick on me and leaves offended the other leaps into the room shouting with joy. With all this manure, there has to be a horse somewhere. Which twin do you believe is creating an attitude of possibility? If you're like the first twin offended, it is up to you to turn it around and look for the gift or lesson or the shift necessary to turn circumstances around to work for you rather than against you. Civility, respect, manners, honor. Yes, I know these are old fashioned words, not often established as community goals in today's organizations, but living them smooths more troubled waters than you can imagine. It allows you to see the good in others and for them to be willing to have healing, trusting conversations with you. And through this, all of you will gain bridging insights that will make it possible to work together. Speak up for yourself. Sinking into a fence is never the answer. And sharing your hurt with others is a terrible response. You owe it to yourself not to stir up strife or do workarounds to bypass interacting with an offender pre-Plan your approach calmly clarify what

Speaker 3: 5:56

Didn't work. Pointing fingers is an absolute no-no. Recognize that conversations loaded with yous will harm rather than soothe. Instead, dig deeper into what you heard, why it bothers you and what you wanna see moving forward. Ask them for their view. Monitor closely nonverbal language. Don't assume everything you say and do is golden. Just because you may think it is . Check the nonverbal language responses around you so you're not the one producing offense , produc without knowing it. If you sense it , something didn't land well, the chances are very high that there is a fly in the ointment of your approach. Ask open-ended challenging exploring questions. You may learn something about yourself that opens the door for a bigger future than you've ever imagined by getting outside your own head to be in someone else's to be blunt. Rarely does offense involve any actual physical harm. It simply invokes an indignant emotional response to what another has said, done, proposed, or presented. The more easily you are offended, the more difficult it will be for you to be successful. In business managers have more than enough on their plate and are chaotic, tumultuous workplace to be asked to also add babysitting to overly sensitive employees to their list of must-dos. Hey, if any of this resonates with you and you wanna learn more about leadership, you can visit Thrive with Nancy to explore a wealth of available free resources. Or if you're excited to create new opportunities in your career by shifting your views ever so slightly while remaining in integrity with yourself, is it now the time to experience your strategic edge program? It is where you and I create a full on partnership unlike anything you've had before in business. Sign up for free strategic call with me at www thrive with nancy.com/executive . You should know by now that no successful executive reaches the top or even arrives at their next destination alone. I'd love to be there with you.