A liberating concept to help you cultivate what you want to grow (better workplace relationships) is realizing that we are responsible. I know that feels counterintuitive because many think that ‘responsibility’ is a burden or something you have to (not want to) do, but if you want to be proactive at creating the workplace relationships that you want, and you think about the word this way…RESPONSE-ABLE…(being able to choose your response), it is not a burden, it’s empowerment! I introduced this concept in a Leadership Tip a few weeks ago titled: Don’t Smack A Rock (Wisdom For Will Smith).

Think about cultivating a garden. If you intend to grow beans, you plant beans and expect beans to grow. The same cultivating works for workplace culture and relationships. If you want a productive, peaceful, and profitable culture, you intend, plant and nurture thoughts and actions that are productive and peaceful.

To Cultivate there is a preparation and/or tilling and turning over the soil to promote growth.

You are like the soil. Turning over your thoughts prepares the groundwork for the fertility of what you want to create.

Being proactive is the preparation, or intervention to influence a situation, even if it is difficult or negative. When we’re proactive, we’re in our full power. The opposite is being reactive. The word ‘react’ means to re-enact old or habitual behaviours, and we fall victim to the way things are happening.

Being proactive by taking the lead and making things happen. It’s worth the effort because we get to stop blaming others for circumstances and liberating because only you can cultivate what you want to grow.

Read more about cultivating what you want to grow in the first chapter of Sandbox Strategies for the New Workplace – Conflict Resolution from the Inside Out.

Penny

Learn the strategies that will help your team resolve conflict in the NEW workplace.

• Embrace, accept, and welcome conflicting values
• Understand the importance of collaborative relationships for career advancement
• Take responsibility to co-create a winning culture with productive and profitable results
• Empathize with coworkers and even competitors to be the leader others WANT to follow

Press Appearances:

• CEOWorld Magazine 
• Blue Heron Journal
• Mareo McCracken
• EverydayMBA, Host: Kevin Craine 
• Savvy Business
• Swimming in the Flood
• Get Down to Business
• HR.com Leadership Excellence
• Indian Management Magazine
• Crafting Solutions to Conflict
• Stay tuned, more coming soon…