Making the best of yourself and your practice: Technician, Part 2 (Proceedings)

More lessons from "What Got You Here Won't Get You There" by Marshall Goldsmith

In the last session we talked about some habits that hold us back in our interpersonal relationships that impact our every day jobs. Now we are going to discuss some steps we can take to help us change for the better.

Remember change doesn't mean going from a 1 to a 10 overnight... no it is a gradual process and even small incremental change is a step in the right direction. In addition, change doesn't always have to mean doing something new or different, it also could mean just stopping things that are holding you back.

Steps To Take to Improve Interpersonal Relationships

1. Feedback- Tells us what to change NOT how to change; Obtain this feedback in three forms- solicited ( don't voice your opinion), unsolicited and observational; Remember we are focused on interpersonal behavior

2. Apologizing-Keep it simple and straight forward- " I'm sorry." Don't complicate it by trying to explain.

3. Telling the World- Specifically share what area you are going to change and regularly advertise your efforts; Remember your actions must also reflect your words.

4. Listening- Become an active listener; Think before your Speak,Listen with Respect, Before you respond determine if " it's worth it?'

5. Thanking- Expresses the basic emotion of Gratitude- crucial feature in etiquette and manners; creates positive closure to our interactions

6. Following Up- Solicit comments and suggestions from peers regularly; Shows that you care about improving and that you care about your peers

7. Practicing Feedforward- one on one discussion; ask for two ideas; listen and say thank you.