Join The Ken Blanchard Companies for a special complimentary webinar and online chat beginning today at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time (12:00 noon Eastern). Best-selling author and consultant Susan Fowler will be sharing strategies for managers looking to improve their ability to create strong work relationships. The webinar is free and seats are still available if you would like to join over 700 people expected to participate.
Immediately after the webinar, Susan will be answering follow-up questions here at LeaderChat for about 30 minutes. To participate in the follow-up discussion, use these simple instructions.
Instructions for Participating in the Online Chat
- Click on the LEAVE A COMMENT link above
- Type in your question
- Push SUBMIT COMMENT
It’s as easy as that! Susan will answer as many questions as possible in the order they are received. Be sure to press F5 to refresh your screen occasionally to see the latest responses.
We hope you can join us later today for this special complimentary event courtesy of Cisco WebEx and The Ken Blanchard Companies. Click here for more information on participating.
I am extremely interested in being a reviewer for your book. I am a former minister, educator, and currently work in health care IT. I have an MBA and an MEd and have reviewed books previously.
Please send details to: stevenking@sccna3.org
I too would like to be a reviewer for this book.
Every author would love to have Steven King be a reviewer 🙂 It will be a privilege to have you in our community of thinkers. Thank you, Susan
This Steven King would be honored to read such a fine work. I look forward to receiving details.
Thank you so much! This was a really great webinar. I’d love to hear more about ARC, and “The Flow”.
Hey Rebecca,
The leading researcher in the area of Flow is Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (whew!)
His book: Flow, was a groundbreaker and he’s written a number of them since. It’s fascinating! Susan
Hi Everyone,
Susan is here–please post your questions and we will answer as many as possible in the next 30 minutes.
How have you seen ARC effectively managed in a conservative culture of a public accounting firm? As most accountants tell me they are not touchy-feely that is why they went into this profession.
Accountants are still human (I think), which means that they need the psychological nutriments as much as the rest of us–it’s how it gets demonstrated and played out that may be different. Relationships can be meaningful without being what they would consider touchy-feely. I wish I had more time and space to be really specific, but please don’t assume that introverted, process-oriented people aren’t in need of, or capable of, meaningful relationships in the workplace!
Hi Susan–here is a question from the webinar. In your experience, can you maintain a srong relationship even when you are taking formal steps to improve performance with someone?
You ESPECIALLY need to develop and sustain a strong relationship when taking formal steps to improve performance. Also please consider if or how the relationship might be part and parcel to poor performance! Remember, if a person feels cared for and integral to the process, they can handle helpful and instructive feedback. Susan
Susan:
I would be very interested in being a reviewer for the Fatal Distractions work. I’m a manager in a large state government agency and motivation is definitely an issue.
Lisa
Thanks, Lisa. I think that the new science of motivation is especially relevant in government systems and organizations where people have been inticed by external or extrinsic motivators that have reached their limit. Now what will motivate them? This is an exciting area for improvement! Susan
Hi Susan–here’s a second question. Any tips in creating strong relationships when you are looking at differences in generational outlooks?
Oh my–this is such an area for skill-building and coming to understanding. Each generation has its own values language and if you can’t hear it, understand it, and speak to it, you will miss an opportunity to connect. Listen for people’s end value and means value. The book, Leader Within, on our recommended resources list has a wonderful section on how to do this. Susan
Another question came in asking specifically about how HR can be included in helping improve relationships organization-wide. Any tips?
This is really an opportunity for HR, isn’t it? From compensation and incentive programs, to job design, to interpersonal skill-building and focus on collaborative options for individuals–HR is in the driver’s seat when it comes to promoting not only relationships, but ARC, organization-wide. Susan
What are your opinions about the KOLBE index for identifying affective and conative styles within the workplace? I know you mentioned DISC. But, I wanted your opinions on others. Thanks.
I would also consider being a reviewer for your book.
Great question JSR–the KOLBE is a way of measuring learning style (concrete/abstract, etc.). In our approach to DISC we have subsumed the learning styles and integrated it with the indicators for DISC of extraversion/introversion/control/accept . Learning style is a vital element of a person’s disposition. Thanks for the offer of being a reviewer. Susan
Hi Susan–how about a situation where the person you are trying to have the conversation with is resistant. Any thoughts on creating a relationship with someone who might not be receptive?
Thank you for the interesting webinar. I would like to be a reviewer of your Fatal Distractions work as well. Our department has gone through so many changes over the past year and there are still more to come (yikes!). Most of us are at the point of exhaustion. So finding motivation is difficult but necessary.
Please remember that human beings are relational in nature; without good relationships we will not thrive or persist or have a sense of well-being. You are not a Scorpion. You can change, adapt, and enhance your behavior and skills, and thus improve your relationships. Thanks for caring. Susan