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The Group Harmonics Help Desk


Useful Answers Fast
Do you have a problem at work? A difficult manager? An unmanageable team? A group going in circles? Give us about four minutes, and we can help!

Use the links below to jump to the topic you need, or browse through the problem statements on the page. When you find your problem, just click the link beneath it to watch a short video lesson that you can use!

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Topic Area
     Admitting You Don't Know
     Admitting You're Out of the Loop    
     Aggressive Employees and How to Handle Them
     Avoiding Arguments (Reconciling different interpretations)
     Changing Someone's Behavior
     Crying Employee or Coworker, How to Handle
     Drama in the Workplace, How to Prevent
     Economic Downturn, Discussing and Answering Questions
     Effective Meeting Agendas
     Email vs. Phone vs. Face-to-Face
     Encouragement
     Engagement Levels of Leaders, Variable
     Group Decision Making

     Group Problem Solving
 

    
     Improving Output
     Innovation and Practicality
     Mapping Team Interactions
     Meeting Types
     Motivation - Understanding Hidden Drivers
     Org Charts: Limitations and Uses
     Reading Behavioral Cues
     Resources: Definition, Availability, and Control
     Role Set Theory - Managing Those Managing You
     Saying No without Saying No: The "VSO"
     Setting "SMART" Goals
     Stubborn Coworkers
     Task Type for Managers and Contributors
     Tuckman's Model for Team Dynamics

 

    

ADMITTING YOU DON'T KNOW
When you don't have all the answers

I'm being pressed for answers I don't have.  How do I respond?
I feel frustrated at my own lack of clarity with what's going on in the workplace.
How much of this should I share with my coworkers or employees?
I have been seeking clarity from my management about what to tell my teammates, but
I haven't gotten any yet.  What should I say in the meantime?

 

ADMITTING YOU'RE OUT OF THE LOOP
When you didn't hear it first

I'm hearing my employees say things my management won't tell me. Now what?
I'm constantly surprised by new information that I think I should have known.  What should I do?
I'm tempted to blame upper management for not communicating well,
but I think that would demoralize my employees.  What's a better option?

 

AGGRESSIVE EMPLOYEES AND HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM
Avoid escalation or acquiescence

I feel slightly threatened by an employee's approach, what can I do?
I don't want to escalate with my angry coworker, but I don't want to acquiesce either. Now what?
Is it best to handle a show of force by meeting it with more force?

 

AVOIDING ARGUMENTS
Reconciling different interpretations without emotion

I'm unable to come to agreement with someone else.  What can I do?
Two of my coworkers are locked in a permanent disagreement and it needs to be resolved. 
Is there a model that will help me to help them?
How do I structure a conversation about divergent interpretations to keep it
from becoming emotional, personal, or getting off track?
How can I explain to someone that their interpretation of a situation is about their own
experience as much as about the "objective" situation itself?

 

CHANGING SOMEONE'S BEHAVIOR
Getting someone to do something differently

My coworker is doing something that drives me crazy!  How do I get him/her to stop?
I need to give corrective feedback to an employee, but I'm afraid he/she
will get defensive.  What should I do?
I'm having a hard time getting my manager to change how he/she manages me.
 How can I ask for something different?
I need to critique someone's work and want to be prepared.  What should I think
about and what should I plan?

 

A CRYING EMPLOYEE OR COWORKER
What to do when you face tears in the workplace

An Employee is in tears in my office.  What do I do?
How do I handle someone who is obviously emotional and upset in the workplace?
How can I offer support to someone who is crying or upset without causing
them to get even more emotional?

 

DRAMA IN THE WORKPLACE - HOW TO PREVENT IT
Returning the focus to productive output

There are lots of dramatic arguments at work, how can I prevent this?
People in my workplace are always forming alliances against others.  What can I do?
I'm feeling powerless and want someone to fix things for me.
The people in my workplace are distracted by personal issues and don't
seem to be getting much work done.

 

ECONOMIC DOWNTURN - HOW TO DISCUSS IT
How to communicate in difficult times

Things are difficult in our industry right now.  What should I tell my employees?
I feel like I should communicate with my team about difficult economic conditions,
but I don't know where to start or what to say.
What makes a good employee meeting when the message is difficult or scary?

 

EFFECTIVE MEETING AGENDAS
Guidelines for thorough meeting planning

I'm in charge of a meeting and want to publish an agenda in advance. What information should I include?
When my team plans to meet, we always just say that we will "talk about solutions," but
then we go in circles.  How can I get us to be more productive?
What does it take to plan a meeting so that everyone is on the same page?
How do you get a group of people to actually work on the same thing at the same time?

 

E-MAIL VERSUS PHONE VERSUS FACE-TO-FACE
Limitations on the flow of information

I'm on the tenth reply of an e-mail conversation and we're going in circles.  Help!
I tried to send out a message to get people talking about something, but it backfired and now my
 inbox is full of what amounts to an argument.  What should I do?
Why is it so much harder to talk on the phone or by e-mail than in person?
I am mad about an e-mail I received.  What should I say in my reply?

 

ENCOURAGEMENT
Getting someone to do more of something

My employee used to do something specific that I liked all the time, but now
he or she doesn't do it very often anymore.
I like it when my manager gives me good feedback, how do I get him/her to do that more often?
A member of my team is very talented at a certain task and I'd like to
encourage him/her to develop more capability in that area.
How do I get someone to realize the importance of something he/she is doing,
so that he/she does it more often?

 

ENGAGEMENT LEVELS OF LEADERS
Using "The Bathtub Model" to explain appropriate variation

I am leading a project team.  How do I define my role?
I've been told by teammates that as the leader, I seem disengaged.
I'm just trying not to micromanage. How can I explain this?
When I get more involved with my team, they say I'm meddling, but
when I get less involved, they say I don't care.  Help!
When should I get more or less involved with a team I'm leading
or managing?

 

GROUP DECISION MAKING
Pre-planning decision processes for maximum benefit

I'm on a team that can't seem to make any useful decisions.  What can I do?
I'm chairing a meeting that is supposed to come to a conclusion but I know
there will be disagreement.  How can I prepare?
What options are there for group decision making?
On my team people tend to act like they agree with the group decision
but then they don't support it.  Is this normal?

 

GROUP PROBLEM SOLVING
A model for information sharing and decision making

I'm on a team that has solved the same problem, again and again, and we
keep going in circles!  How can we deal with it once and for all?
I'm chairing a meeting that is supposed to come up with some answers,
but I know all we will do is argue.  What can I do?
How should I structure the agenda for my problem solving meeting?
My team is nothing but a bunch of people arguing for their opinions.  How do I
get us focused on coming up with real solutions?

 

IMPROVING OUTPUT
The key factors people need to be productive

I have a person who I manage who just won't seem to do what I want.
I'm feeling like it is hard to succeed because I'm poorly managed, but I don't know what to ask for.
I've heard it said that money isn't enough.  What else do people need?
I need to communicate some new expectations to my staff, and want to
be as thorough as possible.  What must I address?

 

INNOVATION AND PRACTICALITY
How to balance novel ideas with practical realism

I'm supposed to be creative but I'm stumped. How do I start?
Too often good ideas around here get shot down too soon. Is there a better way?
We have a lot of dreamers but not enough reality. How can we get more balance?
I'd like to walk my group through a process that will help them to come up
with new and creative ideas to our frequent problems. What are the steps?

 

MAPPING LEVELS OF TEAM INTERACTION
The "Hill of Influence" model and team activities

I'm looking for an activity that I can do with my team to help us work better together.
Some of the people on my team talk way too much,
others never say anything.  How can I fix this?
I know that it's bad when some people dominate the team conversations, but I don't know
how to explain why it is a problem, or get them to change their behavior.
How do I get the people on my team to take responsibility for their own level of engagement? 

 

MEETING TYPES
Information vs. Solution

Our board or oversight committee meetings never get anywhere. Why?
Our meetings seem to go around in circles.  Are all meetings like this?
I'm trying to get a decision in a meeting but it seems like there are
too many people there to ever decide. What should I do?
What is the difference between an informational meeting and a meeting
intended to come to a solution?

 

MOTIVATION
Understanding hidden drivers

I don't trust someone, but I don't understand why.  What can I do?
My manager seems unpredictable and it is causing me stress.  How can I
figure out what he or she will ask me for before it happens?
What sorts of factors drive people to make a decision, such as whether to buy our products?
I have a coworker who really bothers me.  I don't want to work with that person, but
I don't have a good reason for how I feel.  What is going on?

 

ORG CHARTS: LIMITATIONS AND USES
Why sometimes it's better to "burn your org chart"

Why did our last reorganization cause such chaos?
We are restructuring our group and are unsure about what information to consider.
How has the onset of the information age changed the utility of the org chart as a business tool?
What constitutes an appropriate or inappropriate use of an org chart? 

 

READING BEHAVIORAL CUES
Choose your response to maximize communication

When an employee or coworker comes to me in excited or upset state,
how can I best keep our conversation on track?
I know I need to "try something different" in my communication with a specific person,
but I'm not sure what to do.  How can I choose an approach?
How do I read someone's nonverbal cues so that I choose an appropriate response?
I know that different people prefer different kinds of communication,
but I'd like to get more specific than that. 

 

RESOURCES
The importance of definition, availability, and control

I have an employee who doesn't seem to know what he or she needs to get
the job done.  How can I help
?
I don't want my employees dependent upon me for their output.  How can
I make them more autonomous?
What are the requirements for resources in a given situation?
I'm seeking a simple way to increase output by putting it in the hands of the
people doing the work.  How can I get more output through more autonomy?

 

ROLE SET THEORY
Manage the People Managing You

It seems like everyone at work wants a piece of my time.  What do I do?
I feel as though I have multiple bosses and I would need to be multiple people to get all my work done.  Help!
Who are the "critical few" in driving my day-to-day work, and how can I best manage them?
I wish I was all alone at work with nobody telling me what to do. 

 

SAYING NO WITHOUT SAYING NO
Articulating your workplace purpose in advance

I'm constantly distracted by requests at work that take me away
from my core purpose.  How can I reduce these?
I'm worried that if I don't do everything I'm asked, I'll be labeled as
"not being a team player."  But I can't do it all!  Help!
How can I summarize my workplace goals or objectives so that I can share
 them with my manager and coworkers without drowning them in details?
How can I clarify my goals at work for myself? 

 

SETTING "SMART" GOALS
Making requests clear and meaningful

I am trying to get an employee to do something but he or she doesn't seem
to understand what I want.  How can I make myself understood?
I am going to ask a coworker for a favor and want to be respectful of his or her time. 
I'm trying to clarify my own goals with my boss. I 'm unclear on what
to do but not sure how to explain what I need.
I want to make sure I set clear expectations when I ask for something.

 

STUBBORN COWORKERS
How to handle someone who won't do what you want

I'm working with someone who just won't do what I ask.  What do I do?
When people won't listen to me, I get frustrated and become
either assertive or withdrawn.  What should I do instead?
What causes stubborn behavior?

 

TASK TYPE FOR MANAGERS AND INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTORS
Understanding task types and their key elements

I am trying to get an employee to do something but he or she seems to be stuck. 
How can I help my employee get going again?
I've got a project on my plate that constantly seems behind. What can I do? 
How can I characterize my work (or the work of my employees) in a useful way?
I have a feeling my employee doesn't understand the difference between
routine work and project management, but I'm having trouble articulating it.

 

TUCKMAN'S MODEL FOR TEAM DYNAMICS
Understanding the phases of team development

I'm on a team that seems to only be able to
fight and argue; we never get anything done!
I'm starting a new team and would like to know what to expect,
and how to get us productive as quickly as possible.
Why do some teams seem to produce great results while others
seem never to get past the introductions and formalities?
Why does everything seem to fall apart on my team
every time we add a new member?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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