Do you often feel out of sync with your co-workers or find conflict in the workplace?
This article is an excerpt from our BizTV video, which can be viewed online, simply click this link.
Are you a process oriented person in a seat-of-the-pants world? Here are some tips to bring some peace into your workplace.
Sam is a whirlwind. He has great ideas. He moves from idea to idea quickly, getting much of it done. He runs by the seat of his pants.
Cynthia, on the other hand, values the path. She has an orderly approach to getting things done. The process creates self-discovery and meaning. She gets a kick out of checking off boxes
Cynthia finds Sam’s whirlwind approach very annoying. Sam doesn’t really pay much attention to Cynthia’s point of view. Cynthia is a process oriented person in a seat of the pants world.
This can cause conflict.
Are you a process oriented person? Perhaps you understand how frustrated Cynthia feels.
I spend much of my time interpreting the seat of the pants world for my process oriented clients.
Here are some tips for process oriented people to find some peace in a seat of the pants world:
- Start with knowledge. Be aware of your preferred style and the impact you have on others – this knowledge is critical
- Don’t make assumptions about your colleagues. It is very possible that the conflict is not personal. It might not be about you at all.
- Build relationships so you can understand the other guy’s real motivations. It is harder to dislike someone you know pretty well.
- Ask questions to clarify intentions and expectations about projects and work assignments.
- Pick up the pace. If you are surrounded by seat of the pants people you don’t want to fall behind. Find ways to reduce steps so you can keep up.
In my experience, most workplace conflict stems from misunderstandings about behavioral styles. You don’t have to turn yourself into something you are not. You just have to figure out how to solve a different kind of puzzle.