The majority of problems raised in coaching and training sessions relate to people issues: difficulties between back and front office; a truculent member of staff; misunderstandings in communication.  Despite the fact that companies will frequently say that their people are their greatest asset the reality is that many managers consider people issues to be too ‘woolly’ to spend time on. They often don’t feel that they add value to the ‘real task of doing business’. 

Certainly it is difficult, as a busy manager, to find time.  Also difficult to fit people into spreadsheets, manage or measure, that may be true: the human being is a unique and complex organism.  But woolly and not worth spending time thinking about: no.

The myth seems to be that it is the ‘hard skills’ alone that make business work.  Hard skills perform an essential function, certainly, and yet how and whether that happens is all down to the management of human minds and emotions.  Think about your own experience for a moment and see if any of this rings a bell.  Has the smooth flowing of your business or work ever been impacted by an individual who is:

·         Fearful for their job security and just sticks by the letter of their job rather than taking initiative or innovating

·         A jealous or territorial empire-builder who doesn’t want to share a piece of information because they want to take the credit themselves, thereby scuppering their colleagues’ efforts

·         Someone who embellishes the figures or sells more than required to a customer in order to meet their targets and gain their bonus, only to be exposed , at a later date, for misleading others  

·         Unable to say that they don’t know how to perform the function that they have been asked to perform so gets it wrong rather than look stupid and ask their boss or colleague for a solution or guidance

·         Fearful of conflict so avoids raising an issue with a colleague, boss or customer thus perpetuating the problem longer than it needs, sometimes to a point where the issue has escalated beyond redemption

The major problems in the business world actually tend to come down to emotions and relationships –

·         People negotiating major deals and unable to find a way for the egos involved to be sufficiently pacified to be able to do the deal.

·         Companies restructuring and trying to bring different cultures of people and work approach together without appreciating how long it takes for individuals to shake off one identity and set of working habits and integrate with another.    

·         Back office and front office issues that lead to misunderstanding, conflict, delay and complexity

·         The project or programme manager who is so task-focused that they forget to share crucial information with their team, leading to the delay of the project.

·         The manager who has their head so full of target-pressures that they forget to stop to acknowledge good performance,  without realizing that demotivation leads to low productivity, resentment, and to the loss of talented staff.

One can plan effective strategies to manage these eventualities in advance.  These everyday people situations are exactly what it is worth taking focused time to consider, not just waiting to address them when things go wrong.  If not addressed, they cost time, money and mental and emotional energy that could be better utilized elsewhere.  However, it is not necessarily a comfort zone for some managers, who may prefer to focus on tasks rather than thinking about behaviours and emotions.  This is where coaching and training can provide a short sharp solution.  Through Personality Profiling (follow the link for a short comparison between HBDI, DiSC, MBTI) it is possible to identify how different individual and departmental approaches are impacting communication between and within teams.  The HBDI Herrmann Thinking Preference Profile http://www.positiveworks.com/products/thinkingpref.htm is the fastest and most practical tool I know to help people gain insight and strategies to bridge diverse communication styles.  Our new training programme  Bridging the Gap Between Departments (follow the link for an overview agenda) applies the Herrmann profile within a Mediation process to enable individuals and teams to recognise and acknowledge common goals and find a way to align their efforts to the benefit of all.  This isn’t ‘soft’ stuff: it is often the hardest stuff of all!  And when managers are courageous enough to tackle these issues in a direct and honest manner the results are generally of great value to morale and productivity.  For more info contact info@positiveworks.com .