Making Difficult Conversations Easier – Be Authentic
Candid Culture » Business Communication
by Shari Harley
1w ago
Avoiding having difficult conversations because you’re uncomfortable? Afraid you’ll hurt someone’s feelings? Worried you’ll damage your relationship? Why not just say so? The people you work with want to work with other human beings. And part of being human is expressing how you feel. It may seem that admitting that you’re nervous or uncomfortable weakens your position and diminishes your power. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Saying how you feel and being willing to be vulnerable are signs of strength. People with strong egos can admit when they are uncomfortable, people with weak eg ..read more
Visit website
Managing Interruptions at Work
Candid Culture » Business Communication
by Shari Harley
2w ago
As crazy as it sounds, it can be difficult to get work done at work. There are the drive bys – people who want your opinion on EVERYTHING before they make decisions, the interrupters who have just one question, several times a day, the visitors who want to update you on EVERYTHING happening in their personal lives, and coworkers who host meetings at their workstation, take phone calls on speaker phone, and who listen to music without headphones, while loudly eating potato chips. All of these distractions are enough to make many employees want to find a quieter place to work. The concept t ..read more
Visit website
Reaching Your Goals – What Changes Do You Need to Make?
Candid Culture » Business Communication
by Shari Harley
3w ago
It’s normal to want things but do things that prevent us from getting those things. I want to get more sleep, but I lie in bed playing with my iphone long after I should be asleep. I want to be in better shape, but I find every reason not to work out. I want to do more local work, but I don’t pursue work in Denver. Who in Colorado wants to hire me to speak or do some training? Ok, back on track. To have something different, we need to do something different, and that often means giving something up. Letting go of a habit or pattern is challenging. There’s a reason we do what we do. Our habits ..read more
Visit website
Giving Feedback – The Right Time is Now
Candid Culture » Business Communication
by Shari Harley
1M ago
Most of us wait to give negative feedback until it’s the right time, aka the recipient won’t get upset. Or we wait, hoping the situation will resolve itself. If something is really an issue, the likelihood of either happening is pretty slim. The right time to give feedback is shortly after something happens. I’ll offer up the 24-guideline and the one-week rule. Wait 24-hours to give feedback, if you’re upset. But don’t wait longer than a week. The purpose of giving positive or negative feedback (I like the word upgrade feedback) is to motivate someone to replicate or change a behavior. That’s ..read more
Visit website
Hinting Won’t Cut It – Ask for What You Want
Candid Culture » Business Communication
by Shari Harley
1M ago
Years ago, a guy I was dating asked, “We don’t really need to do anything for Valentine’s Day, do we?” I was taken aback by his question (which was really a statement) and replied, “No, we don’t.” But I didn’t mean it. And when he blew off the ‘holiday’, I was furious and let him know it. Instead of having dinner on Valentine’s Day, we had an ugly conversation and a lousy rest of the week. Asking for what I wanted upfront would have been much less painful. Why is it so hard to ask for what we want, especially from the people who love us? Learn how to get what you want on Valentine’s Day and ev ..read more
Visit website
Giving Feedback – Don’t Give Unsolicited Advice
Candid Culture » Business Communication
by Shari Harley
2M ago
It’s hard to watch people do things that impact them negatively – personally or professionally. And yet, if they haven’t asked for feedback, people likely won’t listen to unsolicited advice, so don’t bother giving it. If you really want to give unsolicited advice, ask for permission and make sure you get a true “yes” before speaking up. The conversation could go something like this: “I noticed we’re getting behind on the XYZ project. I have a couple of ideas about what we can do. Would you be interested in talking about them?” Or “That Monday meeting is rough. I feel for you. I used to run mee ..read more
Visit website
Office Culture: Your Job Isn’t to Make Everyone Happy
Candid Culture » Business Communication
by Shari Harley
2M ago
The inspiration for this week’s blog came from the most unlikely source, time with my son. I want each of his days to be exciting and fun. On the days we do nothing but hang out and play at home, I feel like I’ve failed just a little bit. It’s a lot of pressure. Not unlike work and creating an office culture. I want each of my employees to be happy and to enjoy their jobs and enjoy working for me, every day. That can’t and won’t happen. Some days are hard. Some are dull. Sometimes I’m fun and easy to work for. Lots of days I’m not. I had a manager years ago who told me that my need to be liked ..read more
Visit website
How to Handle Customer Complaints
Candid Culture » Business Communication
by Shari Harley
3M ago
No one likes to hear people complain, especially people who go on, and on, and on. But there is a reason people complain for longer than may seem necessary. For the most part, the people who sound like a broken record don’t feel heard. And when people don’t feel heard, they repeat themselves, again, and again, and again. One of the first practices for how to handle customer complaints taught during customer service training is to acknowledge the other person’s concern. Demonstrate that you listened and heard. We often think that complainers want us to solve their problems. That’s not always th ..read more
Visit website
Nosy Friends and Family? Set Boundaries.
Candid Culture » Business Communication
by Shari Harley
4M ago
If you visit family and friends this holiday season. you may receive unsolicited feedback and advice. Sometimes people who care and want what’s best for us, provide input we didn’t ask for. Unsolicited feedback at best feels like someone is trying to help, at worst it feels like criticism. Underneath the feedback might be the message, “If you were doing this right, I wouldn’t need to give you this advice.” I put unsolicited feedback and advice in the same bucket. If you find yourself receiving unsolicited advice, you don’t have to smile politely and take it. It’s ok to put an end to unwanted ..read more
Visit website
Receiving Feedback – Get A Second Opinion
Candid Culture » Business Communication
by Shari Harley
5M ago
At some point in your career, you will likely get feedback that doesn’t feel accurate. When receiving feedback you question, rather than dismiss it, vet the feedback with the people who know you best. Assemble a core team of people who know you well, love you, and have your back.  The relationships may be personal or professional. These are people who will tell you the truth (as they see it) if you ask. You might think that you’re a different person at home and at work, thus your friends’ and family’s input isn’t valid in the workplace. I don’t think that’s true. You are who you are, and ..read more
Visit website

Follow Candid Culture » Business Communication on FeedSpot

Continue with Google
Continue with Apple
OR