Full course: https://www.udemy.com/performance-under-pressure-effective-human-interactions/?couponCode=PROMONOW
The fourth guideline to help you deal with stressed colleagues is to avoid blocking automatic stress-reducing mechanisms. If you do this — say, you tell someone to calm down — you're more likely to prolong the stress reaction.
Built-In Mechanisms
Consider Steven. He's frustrated with a colleague's outburst and tells her to "pull herself together." Although it's tempting to try to intervene with someone's stress responses, such a reaction only adds to the person's stress.
Unfortunately, there's a strong tendency to urge people not to use their stress behavior. For example, Mike has an analytic style and he's stressed and has become withdrawn. If you want to know what's on his mind, you might be tempted to tell him to "just get it off his chest." However, this well-meant advice merely adds to his stress.
Of course, when someone uses such behavior over a long period of time, the situation must be dealt with. If this needs to be done, wait until the person is no longer stressed before addressing the issue. You can then help him or her develop tactics to prevent the buildup of too much stress.
Exercise - The Appropriate Response
You're training a new colleague, Lucy. Your organization has a mandatory test at the end of new hire training. Lucy is worried about the test, as she's having difficulty understanding some of the company's banking processes. Although she started the training bright and cheerful, she's become pale and tired looking by the end of the first week. She's been asking you a lot of questions, which you feel are obvious and repetitive.
What's an appropriate response to Lucy's behavior?
Options:
1 - Listen carefully to her questions and make sure she fully understands your answers. Also recognize that her tiredness is likely due to working hard for the test.
2 - Recognize that asking lots of questions is a process that Lucy uses to learn, and exercise more patience.
3 - Tell Lucy that she shouldn't bother you with the little things. She should be able to figure them out for herself.
4 - Reassure Lucy that the test isn't a big deal. Only you will see the results so she's getting worked up over nothing.
5 - Don't assume that your training skills are inadequate. Instead ask Lucy for feedback on how she feels she's progressing. (...)
Full course: https://www.udemy.com/performance-under-pressure-effective-human-interactions/?couponCode=PROMONOW
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Monday, December 21, 2015
Performance Under Pressure - Effective Human Interactions: Avoiding Getting Hooked
Full course: https://www.udemy.com/performance-under-pressure-effective-human-interactions/?couponCode=PROMONOW
The third guideline to help you deal with stressed colleagues is to avoid getting hooked by their stressed behavior. One way to do this is to reframe your thinking.
For example, rather than focusing on your dislike of the behavior the other is exhibiting, realize what lies behind it. You'll generally find that the person has experienced an enormous buildup of pressure that's causing them to react in this way.
Showing Empathy
Another way of avoiding getting hooked is to try to show empathy for what a person's trying to cope with. Imagine yourself in that person's shoes. You can also remind yourself that you're not the real target of the other person's behavior — whether the behavior is lashing out or avoidance. The behavior's a response to a stressor, and you happen to be in the way. So it's best not to take it personally.
Consider Jack, he manages a small team of banking administrators. Beth, one of the team members, is upset because she's under pressure to complete a task. Follow along as Jack deals with Beth's behavior.
Beth: Jack, you asked me to reconcile the debtors report by end of today, but I'm already overstretched with my daily tasks.
Jack: I'm glad you came to me to clarify. You should focus on the debtor report for today.
Beth: But I'm also covering for Marie's holidays! Did you forget? Beth is sarcastic.
Jack: I didn't forget Beth. I understand that you're under pressure with a lot of competing tasks. It's hard to know what to prioritize. I'll reassign your other duties.
Beth: OK then! Thanks for clearing that up. Beth is happy.
In this example, Jack avoided getting hooked on Beth's behavior by remaining calm rather than reacting to her agitated behavior. He reacted positively, therefore refraining from adding to her stress.
Jack showed empathy toward her task management challenges and didn't take her sarcasm personally. (...)
Full course: https://www.udemy.com/performance-under-pressure-effective-human-interactions/?couponCode=PROMONOW
The third guideline to help you deal with stressed colleagues is to avoid getting hooked by their stressed behavior. One way to do this is to reframe your thinking.
For example, rather than focusing on your dislike of the behavior the other is exhibiting, realize what lies behind it. You'll generally find that the person has experienced an enormous buildup of pressure that's causing them to react in this way.
Showing Empathy
Another way of avoiding getting hooked is to try to show empathy for what a person's trying to cope with. Imagine yourself in that person's shoes. You can also remind yourself that you're not the real target of the other person's behavior — whether the behavior is lashing out or avoidance. The behavior's a response to a stressor, and you happen to be in the way. So it's best not to take it personally.
Consider Jack, he manages a small team of banking administrators. Beth, one of the team members, is upset because she's under pressure to complete a task. Follow along as Jack deals with Beth's behavior.
Beth: Jack, you asked me to reconcile the debtors report by end of today, but I'm already overstretched with my daily tasks.
Jack: I'm glad you came to me to clarify. You should focus on the debtor report for today.
Beth: But I'm also covering for Marie's holidays! Did you forget? Beth is sarcastic.
Jack: I didn't forget Beth. I understand that you're under pressure with a lot of competing tasks. It's hard to know what to prioritize. I'll reassign your other duties.
Beth: OK then! Thanks for clearing that up. Beth is happy.
In this example, Jack avoided getting hooked on Beth's behavior by remaining calm rather than reacting to her agitated behavior. He reacted positively, therefore refraining from adding to her stress.
Jack showed empathy toward her task management challenges and didn't take her sarcasm personally. (...)
Full course: https://www.udemy.com/performance-under-pressure-effective-human-interactions/?couponCode=PROMONOW
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Performance Under Pressure - Effective Human Interactions: Detecting Stress in Others
Full course: https://www.udemy.com/performance-under-pressure-effective-human-interactions/?couponCode=PROMONOW
The second guideline to help you deal with stressed colleagues is detecting their stress. It's helpful to know colleagues' work styles because reactions under pressure are related to assertiveness and responsiveness. For example, expressives, being both assertive and emotional, may become angry. Or, amiables may become docile, given their lack of assertiveness and desire to please.
Identifying Emotional States
When trying to detect stress responses in others, behaviors are usually more obvious from the more overtly assertive styles — expressives and drivers. However, with analysts and especially amiables, it can be harder to recognize the subtle differences between normal and reactive behavior.
When detecting stress in colleagues, try to identify their emotional states. You can do this by listening carefully to what they say and how they say it. You can gather clues from how they respond to external events such as someone greeting them or asking them to do something. For example, if under pressure, their style-based behavior may become more extreme or more rigid.
Learning to Recognize the Signs
Having spent a lot of time with colleagues, you should learn to note specific signs of stress in their behavior. For example, your manager is an expressive and he frequently becomes agitated with you when the team doesn't meet its deadlines. A typical behavior that indicates stress is demonstrative body language, for example pointing, visible tiredness, or a defensive body position.
It's beneficial to think about your colleagues' feelings. Ask yourself how their behavior makes you feel. For example, when your manager's agitated, do you feel guilty? Being able to identify that the behavior is related to stress can help you deal with it better. For example, instead of feeling guilty, you can choose not to take the reaction personally.
Remember Sally and Noah? There are many ways that Noah could've identified Sally's emotional state to improve his reaction toward her. Her body language indicated she's an expressive, as she was waving her arms around as she spoke.
Sally's tone of voice indicated that she was upset. It was high pitched and she spoke very quickly. Sally also expressed fear of losing the client. (...)
Full course: https://www.udemy.com/performance-under-pressure-effective-human-interactions/?couponCode=PROMONOW
The second guideline to help you deal with stressed colleagues is detecting their stress. It's helpful to know colleagues' work styles because reactions under pressure are related to assertiveness and responsiveness. For example, expressives, being both assertive and emotional, may become angry. Or, amiables may become docile, given their lack of assertiveness and desire to please.
Identifying Emotional States
When trying to detect stress responses in others, behaviors are usually more obvious from the more overtly assertive styles — expressives and drivers. However, with analysts and especially amiables, it can be harder to recognize the subtle differences between normal and reactive behavior.
When detecting stress in colleagues, try to identify their emotional states. You can do this by listening carefully to what they say and how they say it. You can gather clues from how they respond to external events such as someone greeting them or asking them to do something. For example, if under pressure, their style-based behavior may become more extreme or more rigid.
Learning to Recognize the Signs
Having spent a lot of time with colleagues, you should learn to note specific signs of stress in their behavior. For example, your manager is an expressive and he frequently becomes agitated with you when the team doesn't meet its deadlines. A typical behavior that indicates stress is demonstrative body language, for example pointing, visible tiredness, or a defensive body position.
It's beneficial to think about your colleagues' feelings. Ask yourself how their behavior makes you feel. For example, when your manager's agitated, do you feel guilty? Being able to identify that the behavior is related to stress can help you deal with it better. For example, instead of feeling guilty, you can choose not to take the reaction personally.
Remember Sally and Noah? There are many ways that Noah could've identified Sally's emotional state to improve his reaction toward her. Her body language indicated she's an expressive, as she was waving her arms around as she spoke.
Sally's tone of voice indicated that she was upset. It was high pitched and she spoke very quickly. Sally also expressed fear of losing the client. (...)
Full course: https://www.udemy.com/performance-under-pressure-effective-human-interactions/?couponCode=PROMONOW
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