Workplace Tension Can't Be Ignored

Workplace Tension Can't Be Ignored - Part One

Do you have people on your team that don't get along? Perhaps it's you that has a hard time with someone else? Workplace tension is one the leading causes of employee dissatisfaction, absenteeism, diminished productivity and employee and customer turnover.

We have all likely experienced workplace tension at some point in our lives; probably more than once. It can be painful, disturbing and lead to many sleepless nights and plenty of ongoing anxiety.

Some companies ignore the situation all together in hopes that it "will just work itself out." Some do, the news has been littered with stories of workplace shootings these past several years. Some companies get very parochial and call offending parties on the carpet and expect a momentary tongue lashing to solve the problems. This is the adult version of being called into the Principal's office to be told that the "big fight" that is supposed to happen at 3PM on the playground isn't going to happen between you and the school bully. Sure, sure the fight won't happen today when the Principal is watching for it, it will just move to tomorrow much like how employee strife continues to live on after the "trip to the office" but now may be worse. Still other companies choose to try to assuage the situation by scheduling team-building days in hopes that by doing a ropes course or round of Kum Ba Ya songs around the old campfire will magically transform mortal workplace enemies into beer drinking buds.

Many of these things though practical in certain circumstances, and as a former boss, easier and less stressful to implement are often high in cost, short on results and lack congruent solution to a burgeoning problem that can and will continue to grow.

One of my favorite quotes that I am sorry to say I can't find a reference to the source to give proper credit is....
"Resentment is the super secret promise of revenge."

Workplace tension is often very much the embodiment of resentment and, and this is big, the true lack of communication. AND yes....you knew I was going to say it....CONNECTION.

In the next post I will give some ideas that companies can consider to ease workplace tension and how the Ripple philosophy can be implemented within the corporate culture to help diminish (notice I didn't say eliminate) tension amongst employees. Stay Tuned!

Postscript.....

We weekend will be jam packed as I begin working on finalizing the outline for my new book, finish some material for an upcoming training I am giving and take another pass at the new virtual course I plan to launch in the next several weeks. Plus there is so much football on this weekend that I likely will be glued to my television morning, noon and night kicking back in my comfy overstuffed rocker while I watch the games and pound on my laptop to do the work I just publicly committed to do (how's that for accountability). Have some new beer steins that need to be properly broken in as well so AFTER the work I will see about breaking them in proper!
Hope everyone has a great Labor Day Weekend!

Ripple On!!!

Steve

New 8 Minute Ripple Video

Mitch Lobrovich with Channel You Productions has created another fantastic video for me that really helps explain the power of what The 8 Minute Ripple can do and all the various ways it can be used. Whether it be for a corporate team or workgroup function, executive board retreat or organizational gathering, conference or convention, or simply to aide in the recruiting process to help a company find and discover the talent they most want to be interviewing, The 8 Minute Ripple philosophy is incredibly adaptable and amazingly powerful.

I invite you to check out this new video by clicking here!

If you want to learn more about what the Ripple can do for you, your organization or your next conference, let's chat! Or if you know of an organization or upcoming event that could use a little Ripple added to their agenda or workplace environment, I would be happy to share the wealth and pay you a referral fee for any Ripples that I may book. Email me at steve@ripplecentral.com

Thanks to each of you for your continued support and interest in all things Ripple. The connections and relationships I have made through The 8 Minute Ripple, the book, this BLOG and my speaking appearances and trainings mean the absolute world to me!

Ripple On!!!

Steve Harper

Circle of Problems

This past Sunday I was watching Inside Actor's Studio and James Lipton's guest was Michael J. Fox. I love Lipton's rapid fire interview style and what open honest answers he is able to get from some of today's leading movie and television stars. And I have to admit, I enjoy hearing what famous people did to get their big breaks. Success leaves clues you know and we just have to know where to look to find them. Mr. Lipton's guests have provided me many fascinating clues, that's why I enjoy watching the show whenever I can.

On Sunday it was repeat episode of Michael J. Fox's appearance from 2005. As most of you probably already know, I am huge fan of Michael J. Fox having blogged previously about his inspirational battle with Parkinson's disease.

I always pick up something from these interviews and this one was no exception. Mr. Lipton had asked Michael about dealing with the problem of Parkinson's and he relayed a great story about God. It seems God invited a bunch of people who had been complaining about their lives and problems and invited them to all gather in one big circle. He then asked everyone to take "their" problem and put it in the middle of the circle. With the "their" problem now gone they were free to select a new problem from the pile of problems and to take it as their own.

Everyone went back to the pile and picked up their old problem and went home.

I am totally paraphrasing this story of course but the point that Michael J. Fox was trying to make was his problems aren't any bigger or worse then someone else's problems. When we compare them to what other people are going through ours don't seem all that bad. Perhaps when faced with the opportunity to switch problems it helps us gain a better perspective and anchored reality that we really aren't that bad off after all.

What problems are you facing right now that you think are just so insurmountable that you think about giving up or giving in? Compare that to be being diagnosed with cancer like my sister Sheri was. Compare that to being faced with the possibility of going blind (again) like my father is. Compare that to someone who lost a small child to an accident. Compare that to this being the last day of someone's life.

No I suspect when faced with placing our problems in the middle of our little circle they wouldn't look so bad after all. No...not so bad at all.

Thanks Michael J. Fox for being such an inspiration to me and to helping me remember no matter what I am facing in my life, someone else always, always has it worse than me.

To see an unrelated but very inspirational segment of the show where Michael talks about getting his big break click here. And to learn more about The Michael J. Fox Foundation click here!

Ripple On!!!

Steve

Freshly Sharpened #2 Pencils Ready To Go

So tomorrow is my son Zach's first day of school. He will officially be a 3rd grader. I can't believe it...he's growing up way too fast.

He was pretty excited and nervous throughout today. On one hand I think he is sad to see summer officially coming to a close but on the other hand excited to officially be considered a big 3rd grader. You see at Zach's school 3rd graders become the "cool kids" because they officially begin helping out the kindergarten class by being a "3rd grade buddy." Zach loved his 3rd grade buddy when he was in kindergarten and I know he is excited to be assigned his buddy for the new year. He is convinced he can do as great a job as his buddy Jeff did for him. I know he can too....but after all I am little biased.

Watching Zach get ready tonight I couldn't help but think back to my childhood and the nervousness that always plagued me the night before. Prepping my school supplies, laying out my spanking new clothes on the end of the bed and day dreaming about what my new teacher would be like. Back in those days I was a sucker for a pretty smile and big hair and my first formidable years somehow amazingly complied by offering up a couple of real cute teachers. That always seemed to help.

I remember my pencil box and the freshly sharpen #2 pencils. Oh the smell of those pencils mixed with the colorful scent of crayon and glue (paste I think they called it back then) somehow was intoxicating for a little kid like me. The night before the "big day" I probably opened up my pencil box about three dozen times checking and rechecking to make sure everything was just right.

Of course as a third grader I was still packing my lunch so I was armed with the latest Star Wars or Bionic Man metal lunch box. You remember those don't you? They always had some great scene that would instantly transform you back to the episode or scene in the movie. For a boy it was fodder that would easily carry you through the lunchroom chatter for the first month at least. That was until the lunch box lost its shine or, and this is more likely, the lead paint started to flake off. Oh the good old days.

These days kids are too cool to take their lunch. "Come on dad, I'm not a dork," Zach would inevitably say. Hell I still pack a lunch in a soft-sided Super Man lunch bag Kathy bought me last Spring. Love it! He just shakes his head when he sees me bring it home from the office.

Well I just looked in on Zach and he is sound asleep. He must get that from his mom because I would have still been wrestling with my excitement and sleep on the night before the first day was always hard to come by. I suspect that tonight I will be tossing and turning for him and in fact if his last three years of "night before the first day of school" is any indication then I won't sleep well tonight either.

Funny how I get still get jacked up for the first day of school. Hmmm guess I need to go find his pencil box and get a little #2 pencil smell fix. It's gonna be a long night!

Sleep well Zachary 3rd grade awaits. There is no doubt this will be an amazing year for you my son. Daddy couldn't be more proud.

Ripple On My Friends!!!

Steve