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Equinox Facts
-
 Fall Equinox generally falls on September 23rd -- but really refers to a moment in time, not an entire day.
- Is it true that you can balance an egg on its end during an
equinox? Yes, but you can really do it any day of the year with a
bit of persistence. This day is only different because of the
superstition which causes more people to try it!
- The true moment of the autumnal equinox is when the sun is directly over the equator
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About New Avenues
Performance
Improvement isn't rocket science, but it's so easy to get it
wrong! After 15 years working with a varied client base, we're
certain that we can help your organization's
performance with:
- Customized training programs on a wide variety of topics
- Team improvement initiatives
- Leadership development
- One-on-one coaching
- Satisfaction Surveys
- Facilitated focus groups
- Something created just for you.
For
a no-obligation discussion, give us a call. We'd love to put our
minds to work on your organization's current challenge!
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Quick Links...
The
New Avenues website is currently undergoing a makeover with a new &
improved site to come. In the near future you can visit us at
newavenuesinc.com
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Autumnal Equinox: A Time for Conflict Reflection!
We're
in that magical time of year when the long days of
summer are not yet replaced by the long nights of winter - an
almost even balance between light and dark. Most of us seem to be
on an endless quest for balance. Balance between home and work
concerns. Balancing our need for delicious treats with keeping
that cholesterol count in check. And it seems recently, I've
encountered more and more folks struggling with the balance between
keeping the peace in their workplace and confronting bad behavior.
Here are some tips for striking a nearer to perfect balance:
1. Remember No News is Good News:
As you decide whether to speak up or not, remember that taking no
action signals to the person that their current behavior pattern is
A-Okay. Expect the bad behavior to continue. The only way
you can realistically change behavior is by confronting the issue in a
professional manner.
2. Focus on the behavior not the person: The
afore mentioned "confrontation" doesn't have to be nasty.
Instead, ensure that you are focusing on the job-related outcomes of
their behavior, not on their worth as a person. Using this
strategy, "You're wasting my time with chit-chat" becomes "I've got
to get back to work or I'll never meet my deadline. Maybe we can
have coffee after work to catch up on our personal lives." The always dreaded discussion about a negative attitude becomes, "We
all have bad days occasionally, but the way you snarled at the customer
makes us all look bad! Do you want to vent for a moment so you
can get it out of your system?"
3. Are You Rewarding Bad Behavior? Earlier
this week I had a discussion with a client about a particularly moody
employee. "Betty" would get mad about issues and refuse to
talk to her co-workers because of it. Typically, Betty's
co-workers would bring her a plate of cookies or other baked goods to
apologize. With a gig this good, who would ever change THAT
behavior? Your rewards might not be quite so blatant, but often
we avoid the "squeaky wheel" by taking on more for ourselves or
delegating it to more reasonable employees. Where's the
motivation to change?
4. Put Your Bubble Up! When
faced with stressful or difficult situations, my friend coined the
phrase, "I've got to put my bubble up to deal with him." There
are certainly situations where confronting the problem isn't the
answer. Maybe it's a petty annoyance or person in a position of
authority where efforts to provide constructive feedback will
have dire consequences. In these cases, putting up your
bubble not only gets you though the day, but spares those around you
from having to deal with the negativity as well.
Dealing with conflict is a competency for all professionals, no
matter what your position, organization or industry.
And, the autumnal equinox is as good a time as any to change your
behavior to garner better results! |
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If you've got your own equinox stories to share, I'd love to hear
from you! Until then, here's to well balanced days ahead for you
and your organization. |
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Sincerely,
Laura Ford
New Avenues, Inc. |
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