Leadership isn’t always a walk in the park. The people being led may have different work styles, may be demotivated, or not always do as they’re told. Situations and relationships that involve the people being led may become challenging and require difficult conversations or even discipline. In this insightful discussion, experienced leaders David Bond and Ed Sherman delve into the intricacies of effective relationships, communication strategies, and leadership approaches.
Ed is an organizational consultant, executive coach, and leadership development specialist with 40 years of experience in public safety having served as a law enforcement officer, firefighter, and paramedic. Meanwhile, David is a licensed psychologist specializing in counseling and training emergency first responders who served in the law enforcement field for 27 years. He is currently the clinical director at Focus Psychological Services in San Diego.
The conversation touched on topics such as:
- The four pillars of effective professional and personal relationships – what these mean, what they look like, and how the absence of these can lead to problems.
- Supervising people who have different styles and approaches
- Utilizing the different leadership styles based on an employee’s readiness and capabilities.
- Getting to know the people we work with and lead, and utilizing personality tests such as the DISC system to tailor communication and direction effectively.
- Handling our “hot buttons” and preventing overreacting as a leader
- Utilizing Emotional Intelligence when interacting and veering off right vs. wrong and instead focusing on the outcome.
- Leveraging the cause-and-effect methodology which requires being cognizant of how our actions and communication styles affect others and how they respond.
- Having the self-awareness to recognize our biases and address underlying fears that manifest as anger which then impacts our actions, reactions, interactions, and decision-making.
- Dealing with the discomfort of addressing issues and concerns with employees.
- Slowing down, taking a step back, and preparing before addressing issues raised.
- Practicing skills to handle difficult conversations over time to improve proficiency and seeking guidance from mentors who excel in this area.
- Being trained to act quickly and decisively which doesn’t always help.
- Overcoming the default training in public safety to act immediately and remembering that contemplating what to do is also a form of action.
- Gathering as much information and taking as much time, as reasonable to arrive at the best decision.
- Not shutting down other’s ideas immediately and facilitating dialog to arrive at a better decision or solution.
- Motivating employees who only do the minimum.
- Understanding that what motivates each employee can vary and finding out what motivates them to steer them into the desired behavior and outcome.
- Avoiding assumptions and engaging in open conversations to gain an understanding of what causes employees’ lack of motivation.
- Taking time to understand them to demonstrate respect and consideration for them as human beings.
- Utilizing discipline while maintaining morale
- Finding the balance in the leaders’ dilemma where both the people and the organization are supported.
- Being flexible, listening, building relationships, and emphasizing the concept of team before implementing discipline to establish expectations and make difficult conversations easier.
Questions from webinar attendees are about:
- Addressing colleagues, or bosses who believe they are clear communicators but are not.
- Recommended assessments to identify communication styles.
- Whether communication styles and personality types evolve over time.
- Strategies for supervising difficult individuals.
Other Webinars with this Presenter
- June 6: Be the Leader You Wish You Had
- Sept 12: Rockin’ The Leadership Role (this webinar)
Resources and Handouts
- Handout: Key Points
- Book: The Compound Effect: Jumpstart Your Income, Your Life, and Your Success by Darren Hardy
- Book: The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael Singer, Peter Berkot et al
- Book: Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t by Simon Sinek
- Book: Humble Leadership: THe Power of Relationships, Openness and Trust by Schein and Schein
- Resource mentioned: DISC Personality Test
- Resource Mentioned: Emotional Intelligence Test
- Book: Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton and SHeila Heen of the Harvard Negotiation Project
Audience Comments
- “I really liked that the guest speakers tackled/addressed those questions with predicaments that we as supervisors deal with on a daily basis and they did so in clear, realistic terms. Good answers! Thank you.” — Tyra
- “I enjoyed the questions and answers by both presenters.” — Vanessa
- “I really liked the suggestion to treat people at work as a team instead of family. That tied into the person’s question at the end who asked about supervising somebody you may not like. The emotion/personality needs to be separated from the ability of the worker as part of a team.” — Rob
- “I appreciate how candid the speakers were and how quickly they were able to answer any question, a true credit to their experience and breadth of knowledge.” — Sarah
- “Affirmation about the DiSC profiles, we have used them and it has helped a great deal but there is no longer anyone in our area who does this and that is a shame.” — Nancy
- Treat everyone like your grandmother – with respect. — Patricia
- Excellent presenters. HATS OFF. — Robert
- “Good ideas and tips for dealing with difficult employees. Look at yourself first which is a good starting point — what you know.” — Linda
- “Honestly, all of the topics were very helpful today! I would love to see an expansion on how to have those difficult conversations and how to maintain morale when part of the team is only doing the minimum.” — Lisa
- “I loved the focus on leadership, particularly in managing people with different communication styles and personalities.” — Jason
