Dealing with Conflict
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
Leaders that cannot effectively deal with conflict are not really very good leaders are they? From my perspective, the issues surrounding conflict resolution can be best summed-up in three words…”Deal With It“. Conflict Resolution is a skill set necessary for survival in today’s business world. While you can try and avoid conflict (bad idea), you cannot escape conflict…The fact of the matter is that conflict in the workplace is unavoidable. It will find you whether you look for it (good idea) or not. The ability to recognize conflict, understand the nature of conflict, and to be able to bring swift and fair resolution to conflict will serve you well as a senior executive or entrepreneur. In today’s post I’ll share my perspective on the art and science of conflict resolution.
Do not make the mistake of taking the importance of communication for granted - communication matters. Put simply, the ability to effectively communicate with others is often the difference between success and failure. Don’t be fooled into thinking your title, education, influence, or charisma can take the place of sound communication skills. While the aforementioned characteristics certainly won’t hurt, they can be quickly eroded and/or undermined by a lack of effective communication skills. In today’s post I’ll take a critical look at why communication matters… 
There is simply no substitute for the truth. That said, how do you measure a person’s positional conviction? How do you know if someone is sincere in their communication? How do you know if you’re being told the truth, or just being spoken to in a manner designed to elicit a desired response? Listen to what’s being said…When attempting to evaluate the shifting sands of fluid messaging, or what I like to refer to as spin, examine the choice of words used in the composition of said messaging.
Do you ever grow weary of listening to the verbose, or reading the work of those that have issues with clear articulation? I certainly do…but fear not; the lost art of brevity is making a comeback. Those of you that know me have come to understand that I prefer to cut to the chase. I like to get to the root of an issue as quickly as possible. While I appreciate the great oratory skills of those who communicate using wonderful word pictures, or the academics who can wax eloquent while always using the best form of prose, I prefer my business communication to be quick and dirty. In the immortal words of Jack Webb: “The facts ma’am…just the facts.” In today’s post I’ll look at the benefits associated with the resurgence of brevity.
One of the most effective ways to order your world is to simplify everything you encounter. However the problem is that keeping it simple often becomes very difficult when our basic human nature is to over-complicate everything we touch. In thinking about the people I respect the most, to the one, they possess the uncanny ability to take the most complicated of issues and simplify them. You will find that the best leaders, communicators, teachers, and innovators have a true knack for taking extremely complex, dense or intricate content and making it engaging and easy to understand. In fact, it was Leonardo Da Vinci who said: “simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication.” In today’s post I’ll take a look at the often overlooked benefits of keeping it simple…
No, I didn’t just get better looking…I have a torrid travel schedule over the next few weeks and have enlisted a few friends to pinch hit with guest posts in my absence. First up is Wally Bock, the gentleman pictured to the left, who while being my senior looks 1o years younger. I really hate that, but I digress… For those of you not familiar with Wally, you’re in for a real treat. Wally is a seasoned pro well known for his keen insights on leadership and management. The hidden bonus is that Wally is also one of the best writers I know. Wally is the author of several books and 
It is simply not possible to have a well received message that is not relevant. Think about it for a moment…when was the last time you bothered to read, watch or listen to a message that wasn’t relevant to your needs? Great leaders understand the power, influence, and leverage created by relevant messaging. Do you ever find yourself sitting back and marveling at those leaders who always seem to have the right thing to say? Contrast this with the feelings you have when you hear an awful sound-bite that makes a leader look either uninformed or unintelligent. The difference between the two aforementioned examples is that great leaders have mastered the art of finding the right message (the relevant message) regardless of the medium, market, or constituency being addressed. In today’s post I’ll share some of the messaging secrets used by the best leaders to keep their message relevant…
Individual vs. Community Blogs…I was recently asked: “Do I think individual blogs have a future?” The underlying premise behind the question was the insinuation that if as an individual blogger you don’t take shelter within a blogging community, you simply won’t be able to survive. There has been a lot of buzz surrounding this topic of late, with people beginning to form very firm opinions on either side of the debate. From my perspective, I believe there are sound arguments to be made on both sides. The larger issue is not whether one form of blogging will survive while the other perishes, but rather how the maturation of the blogosphere may force many bloggers to choose a side. In today’s post I’ll take a look at the benefits of individual vs. community blogs. 
Today’s rant is going to be short and sweet, but contrarian and politically incorrect as usual. Buzzwords and Business-Speak…it’s so difficult to spend even a few minutes in conversation without hearing a litany of the most popular catch-phrases, that many have taken to trivializing anyone who utters these buzzwords as an incompetent, uneducated, and completely inferior corporate citizen. While you may find it hard to believe, I don’t have anything against buzzwords, techno-jargon, colloquialisms, acronyms and other forms of business-speak with the following caveat…that they are used in context, and by someone who possesses an underlying knowledge of what the phrase de jure actually means. I know that for many of you, what I’ve just espoused is nothing short of sacrilege, but I encourage you to read the text that follows as I think I can actually make the business case for becoming accepting of the use of buzzwords and business-speak…