Jennifer McClure`

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Written by Jennifer McClure

Flipping The Script: Conflict Isn’t Bad, It’s Good

It’s probably safe to say that nobody likes conflict.

But, it’s also true that conflict can be helpful – maybe even necessary – if you want your ideas to become the best that they can be, and for disruption and/or innovation to occur.

Conflict Produces More And Better Ideas

In fact, studies performed in both the United States and France examined the role that conflict played in generating and producing creative ideas. The researchers assembled participants into three separate experimental conditions (minimal, brainstorming, and debate) and formed them into teams within those conditions.

Each team was tasked with generating ideas for the same challenge: how to reduce traffic congestion in the San Francisco Bay Area. Teams in the “minimal condition” were given no further instructions and told to develop as many ideas as possible. Teams in the “brainstorming condition” were given the traditional set of brainstorming rules; paramount among those rules being the notion that all judgment should be suspended and no idea criticized or debated. Teams in the final, “debate condition” were given a set of rules similar to brainstorming with one important difference: they were told to debate and criticize others’ ideas as they were generated.

When the results were calculated, the winners were clear. While teams in the “brainstorming condition” did generate more ideas than the teams given “minimal” instructions, it was the teams in the “debate condition” that outperformed the rest. Teams that debated their ideas produced an average of 25% more ideas than the other teams in the same period of time.

— Why Fighting For Our Ideas Makes Them Better

If conflict and debate can help us produce better work, and come up with more creative ideas, then why do we do we tend to avoid it like the plague?

Because we often do it wrong.

The good news is that we can fix that. The best leaders seek out conflict, and also establish ground rules and cultures where healthy conflict can occur.

Leaders Should Own Conflict

I recently watched a DisruptHR Talk given by Amanda Ono – VP People & Culture at Resolver – at the December 2017 DisruptHR Toronto event about the importance of embracing conflict in the workplace. In her Talk, Amanda makes some great points about conflict, including:

Conflict isn’t bad. It’s when it gets wrapped in ego and blame that it’s bad. Otherwise, it’s about peeling the onion to understand why incompatibility exists, and airing genuine fears and concerns.

As the Chief Excitement Officer of DisruptHR, I’ve watched hundreds of DisruptHR Talks (there are currently over 1,700 online), and this one ranks right up there as one of my favorites.

Amanda takes a traditionally held belief (conflict is bad – avoid it), and flips it (conflict is good – seek it out). She makes the case that it’s time for us to embrace conflict in the workplace, so people can create their very best work.

Teams Need Conflict

I love Amanda’s message, and encourage you to take 5 minutes to watch her Talk.

Then, go out and encourage some conflict in your workplace. 🙂

Surviving The Kool-Aid Hangover: Your Team Needs Conflict & How HR Can Make It Happen | Amanda Ono | DisruptHR Talks from DisruptHR on Vimeo.

Categories: Effective Communication, Leadership
Posted on February 21, 2018

Written by Jennifer McClure

The Greatest Story Ever Told, And What It Says About Leadership And Culture

I’m on a plane today, traveling to speak to Human Resources leaders at a conference about The Future of HR.

This is what I love to do, and I’m blessed to be able to have a career where my primary purpose is to encourage, equip, and inspire  business leaders of all kinds – not just HR – to embrace the future of work, and leverage their influence to create positive, lasting change.

I fully believe leaders have a tremendous opportunity to positively impact the lives of those that they lead and serve on a daily basis – not just through their actions, but also through establishing a culture where people can thrive, and use their gifts and talents in ways that move our businesses forward.

Company cultures are complex, multi-faceted, and ever evolving, but I’m a firm believer that you can learn a lot about a company’s culture, and their leadership, through the stories that employees tell. I agree with New York Times best-selling author, and marketing and customer service expert Jay Baer, when he says:

Everything great in marketing starts with great inside-out storytelling that values employees, because that is the hallmark of a strong organizational culture.

That’s why, when I came across this video today from the “HR Storytellers” series produced by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), I had to share it. It features my good friend and mentor Steve Browne, Executive Director of Human Resources at LaRosas, Inc., – a regional, family-owned pizzeria chain, and one of Cincinnati’s iconic and beloved brands.

I love this story.

I love that it’s representative of the leadership and culture at a company carrying the beliefs and actions of its iconic Founder into the future of work – and never losing sight of what makes their businesses unique and successful – their people, and their stories.

Your company’s stories can be a powerful tool in your recruiting and retention efforts, and they can radically affect employee engagement.

Please take 9 minutes to watch this video, and really listen to the story Steve tells. Then, think about your own company.

What stories can you tell?

Want to get more great stories from Steve, and learn how you can increase your effectiveness as a leader by focusing on the humans in your workplace? Get a copy of his first book HR on Purpose: Developing Deliberate People Passion. It’s available for order online through the SHRM Book Store. 

Categories: Effective Communication, Employee Engagement, Leadership
Posted on September 18, 2017

Written by Jennifer McClure

Communicate Like An Executive To Get Your Ideas Heard

Do you want to be a leader who gets noticed by the C-suite, and is known as someone who can add value to any strategic conversation? Then you must learn to communicate like an executive – whether you hold an executive title, or not.

In order to be heard; in order to present effective business cases; in order to get approval to make the changes you want to make; you must be able to communicate in a way that executives can relate to, and understand.

[Read more…]

Categories: Blog, Effective Communication, Executive Presence, Leadership
Posted on February 17, 2017

Written by Jennifer McClure

4 Steps to Build An Effective Business Case and Gain Executive Approval

As a business leader, you fill a critical role inside your company. You lead or initiate key projects that can positively – or negatively – impact business performance.


As a result, you must master the art of building (and selling) an effective business case in order to gain executive approval to implement key strategies necessary to achieve strategic business objectives.

[Read more…]

Categories: Blog, Effective Communication, Leadership
Posted on February 9, 2017

Written by Jennifer McClure

Dealing With Difficult Employees: What Not To Say [Entrepreneur.com]

As a Leader, it’s part of your job to sometimes have difficult conversations with employees. But nobody likes doing this, so it helps to prepare how you’ll handle the situation in advance.

Recently, myself, Donna Rogers and Susan Strayer LaMotte were asked to share some tips on what to say/what not to say during difficult situations in an article on Entrepreneur.com – Difficult Conversations: What Not To Say.

Entrepreneur.com logo

Here’s a tidbit from the article with my views on what can happen when an employee is angry and ready to unload:

As the person delivering awkward or unpleasant news to a staffer, you often try to make yourself feel better by giving the employee time to defend themselves, but this often disintegrates into an arguing and finger pointing. This then puts you in a defensive posture. “It almost always goes south the more explanation you provide,” says McClure. “If then you get some small fact wrong, it distracts from the actual conversation and you are both on the defensive.

Read more about how to handle this type of difficult situation, as well as two others by checking out the entire article on Entrepreneur.com.

—–
Unbridled Talent LLC is a consulting and advisory firm providing services to clients in the areas of leadership development, executive communication skills and talent strategy. Jennifer McClure offers keynotes, workshops and training that inspire and teach business leaders to be more effective in their careers and as leaders of their organization’s most valuable resource – people. Contact us to schedule an event or to discuss our strategic consulting and advisory services.

Categories: Blog, Effective Communication, Human Resources
Posted on November 14, 2013

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