WORKPLACE COLLABORATION
other person to feel comfortable expressing painful realities or to raise questions, without wondering if those expressions would hurt their career. Tact is the appropriate response you off er so they come to the necessary conclusions themselves.
ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE How do you improve the trust level others have with you? 1. Increase your awareness of self – when do you feel you are being insincere or your words are not refl ective of how you feel, or of what is best?
2. Increase your awareness of others to notice when and how they react to your words or actions. Do they smile, nod in agreement, shrug their shoulders or do something
else, even if it is subtle?
3. Clearly communicate your own position and stand by those positions, regardless of the situations and the circumstances.
4. Be predictable and consistent in your thoughts, emotions, words and actions, especially in those unsettled situations.
5. Articulate a clear direction and/ or vision, and steadily execute steps to progress towards that direction and/or vision, regardless of the surrounding circumstances.
6. Speak honestly and, if appropriate, relate when you have acted like what they have and what you have learned from that situation. This shows that you are human, make mistakes, are empathetic and forgiving.
How do you improve your tact acumen? 1. Check your tone of voice. Is it sarcastic or does it have an edge to it? Or is it calming and sharing the concern you feel for them? If you do not know, record yourself or ask a trusted colleague.
2. Initially rehearse aloud what you will say to the other person. Imagine yourself in their shoes — how would you feel if you were on the receiving end of your own words? You must speak it aloud — often our words and tone of voice sound diff erently coming out of our mouths than what we ‘hear’ in our head.
3. Experiment with words to be sure you are conveying the appropriate and proper message. ‘Concern’ and ‘worry’ have two diff erent meanings as do ‘problem’ and ‘issue’, and ‘conversation’ and ‘discussion’. Use the synonym option in Word, or use a thesaurus Web site for the word that conveys exactly what you want.
TO SUMMARIZE Trust defi nes your character. Tact solidifi es you as an understanding leader. If you have lost trust from others, realize it may be a long road to recovery. That road begins with an apology and ends with an acknowledgement of the eff ects your actions have had on others. Ask for another chance and hold true to your word. Without trust, your department cannot be excellent. With trust, you might be surprised what your department will accomplish. Your character is dependent upon
every aspect discussed so far; they are all intertwined and comprise who you are. The ability to earn their complete trust by seeing the situation from their perspective (‘as
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DOMmagazine.com | aug 2017
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