Monthly Tip

Resolving Issues

If you have an issue with your co-worker, work it out directly with her. You don't need to tell me about it; said a director to her staff. From there the director thought the co-workers would talk about the issue and it would be resolved.

To her surprise, the same issue surfaced again - this time in the form of gossip. The director was confused. Why is this issue being gossiped about when it should have been resolved? Why is it that staff members seem to take joy in spreading around information about others, information that has nothing to do with them? And - don't they think about how they communicate and how it can damage their professional relationships with their co-workers?

Can you relate to this scenario? Getting staff to resolve issues and conflicts on their own is a major frustration that leaders in the child care profession have shared with me. It seems like staff would rather vent and complain about the situation as opposed to working it out directly. Why?

As a director, you can step back and see the damaging impact to morale when issues and conflicts are not resolved - this doesn't mean your staff does. Staff members often are not fully aware of how their actions play a major role in determining team morale. Nor are they aware of how the way they decide to communicate dictates what kind of day they will have - positive or negative. So that's one reason.

Another reason issues might not be resolved is because staff members do not know how to approach the person in a way that they will feel positive about and comfortable with. I often hear staff say: I don't want to hurt her feelings. Or worse yet they exclaim: What if she won't talk to me after I confront her about the issue. After all, I have to work with her all day long.

Another reason highly worth exploring is - staff members may not have a formula in place (a formula that is universal for the entire team to follow) on how to go about resolving issues.

So what's a director to do?

Well, if getting staff to resolve issues is a troublesome challenge for you, start by engaging your staff in a conversation about the realities of what happens when issues are left to linger. Discuss the impacts on morale and how it makes them feel individually when there's an issue left with no resolution. Encourage them to think about the time that is wasted and how the gossip that may occur as a result of issues not being resolved directly keeps everyone's minds drenched in negativity.

Then, at your next staff meeting, have your team practice resolving mock situations using a universal formula for resolving issues. This is a formula that you provide them. It should include specific steps for resolving issues positively and directly. Everyone will laugh, have fun, and think differently about resolving issues.

© 2004, Julie Bartkus. All tips are copyright protected. You may use our tips for your publication as long as you credit Julie Bartkus and this Web site (www.MotivateTeachers.com).

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