by Christi Barrett | Conflict
Some team members hate conflict. Instead of openly airing the issues, conflict-averse people often go to their best friend on the team and complain about other team members. They say things like, “I don’t want to make trouble” or “It...
by Christi Barrett | Interdependence, Teamwork
“Marketing is a pain in my butt,” laments operations director Stephan on a regular basis. Such cross-functional bashing is, unfortunately, not uncommon. One HBR author has stated that 75% of all cross-functional teams are dysfunctional. Many people find...
by David Wheatley | Choice, Teamwork
We were tickled pink to hear a client (we’ll call him Bob) mention recently that choosing to do the right thing – to engage with others productively, even in the midst of conflict, confusion or tension – was getting easier over time. In the past, he...
by Christi Barrett | Communication, Feedback
Kim Scott is a veteran of a long career in technology, including a long stint at Google. In a presentation at First Round’s CEO roundtable, she describes how she learned to give and get feedback at Google. In order to foster an environment of growth, the culture...
by Christi Barrett | Communication
David Wheatley shared an insight at a recent training that really hit home. He said that the key to engaging with others is direct, honest and respectful communication. Often we’re good at two of these three, and we need to manage forĀ thirdĀ one. David shared...