All entries for Sunday 20 February 2011
February 20, 2011
seminar 1
How do you manage other leaders/people with strong personalities?
The answer for the above most probably lies in assertiveness. I attended a workshop (at Warwick – check it out it’s worth!) about being assertive where the tutor taught us some simple (and some not ;) rules of how to be assertive:
- believe in yourself to develop high self-respect and self-esteem
- posture – always stand firmly, with feet few cm one from another, and stand straight (but naturally!)
- voice - this is hard to explain without presenting – speak calmly, clearly in steady tone, but at the end of the sentence lower the tone
- assertive person supports oneself with negotiation – if you cannot achieve what you wanted in the first place (someone is too stubborn) you can try negotiation (but do not give up your intentions!)
- if someone is very bossy and gives you no opportunity to ask a question or say your opinion, wait till he/she takes a breath and in this second speak what you wanted (again, be firm and clear and the best way to achieve that is to have your question practiced, if possible)
Plus according to Townend (2008, p. 4), assertive situations stimulate working environment by development of curiosity between individuals about each other’s opinions.
Townend, A. (2008). Identifying and managing bullying in the workplace. Human Resource Management International Digest, 16, (6), 3-5.