534: How to Deal With an Unsupportive Colleague, with Bonni Stachowiak
Jul 5, 2021
Navigating the tricky terrain of unsupportive colleagues takes center stage, with strategies for fostering collaboration and enhancing communication. The importance of professionalism and maintaining strong relationships is explored, especially in competitive environments. Listener questions bring up themes of accountability and personal development, shedding light on the necessity of understanding leadership contexts. Practical tips for boosting productivity and recommended readings add depth to the conversation, making it a treasure trove of insights for aspiring leaders.
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insights INSIGHT
Collaboration over Competition
Competition in the workplace can be detrimental to overall success.
Focus on collaboration and leveraging each other's strengths for synergy.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Handling Unsupportive Colleagues
Focus on achieving results and working well with others, especially with peers.
Avoid discussing potential promotions with unsupportive colleagues.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Focus on Senior Leaders
Good work alone isn't enough for career advancement; connect with senior leaders.
Understand their priorities and the business case for your work.
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How to Make Extraordinary Things Happen in Organizations
Barry Posner
James M. Kouzes
This book is a gold-standard manual for effective leadership, grounded in research and written by premier authorities in the field. It describes leadership as a skill to be learned and a relationship that must be nurtured. The authors, Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, identify five core practices of exemplary leadership: Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart. These practices are supported by numerous international examples and updated cases to address current challenges. The book emphasizes that leadership is not about personality but about an observable and learnable set of skills and abilities.
Getting Things Done
David Allen
Getting Things Done (GTD) is a personal productivity system developed by David Allen. The book provides a detailed methodology for managing tasks, projects, and information, emphasizing the importance of capturing all tasks and ideas, clarifying their meaning, organizing them into actionable lists, reviewing the system regularly, and engaging in the tasks. The GTD method is designed to reduce stress and increase productivity by externalizing tasks and using a trusted system to manage them. The book is divided into three parts, covering the overview of the system, its implementation, and the deeper benefits of integrating GTD into one's work and life[2][3][5].
How to Win Friends and Influence People
Dale Carnegie
First published in 1936, 'How to Win Friends and Influence People' by Dale Carnegie is a timeless guide to improving interpersonal skills. The book is divided into four main sections: Six Ways to Make People Like You, Twelve Ways to Win People to Your Way of Thinking, and Nine Ways to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment. Carnegie's principles emphasize the importance of genuine interest in others, active listening, and avoiding criticism and argument. The book offers practical advice on how to build strong relationships, communicate effectively, and influence others by aligning their self-interest with yours. It has been a cornerstone of personal development and business success for generations[2][3][5].
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Stephen R Covey
This book, first published in 1989, outlines seven habits that are designed to help individuals become more effective in their personal and professional lives. The habits are grouped into three categories: Private Victory (habits 1-3), Public Victory (habits 4-6), and Renewal (habit 7). The habits include being proactive, beginning with the end in mind, putting first things first, thinking win-win, seeking first to understand and then to be understood, synergizing, and sharpening the saw. Covey emphasizes the importance of personal integrity, effective time management, empathetic communication, and continuous self-improvement[2][5][4].
Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed
Bonni Stachowiak is the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, a professor of business and management at Vanguard University, and my life partner. Prior to her academic career, Bonni was a human resources consultant and executive officer for a publicly traded company. She is the author of The Productive Online and Offline Professor: A Practical Guide*.
Listener Questions
Mark asked our advice on how to navigate a sensitive situation with an unsupportive colleague.
Geraldine wondered about how to implement management accountability with public sector employees.
Samuel asked about building personal capacity.
James asked if we were aware of resources for a leadership body of knowledge.
Resources Mentioned
7 Habits of Highly Effective People* by Stephen Covey
Getting Things Done* by David Allen
Center for Creative Leadership
Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership
How to Win Friends and Influence People* by Dale Carnegie
The Leadership Challenge: How to Make Extraordinary Things Happen in Organizations* by James Kouzes and Barry Posner
Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
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