>> IN THE WORKPLACE, DIFFICULT SITUATIONS INEVIDENCEBLY ARISE
FROM TIME TO TIME WHICH CAN LEAD TO CONFLICTS TO WORKERS.
WHILE IT CAN BE UNCOMFORTABLE IT'S IMPORTANT TO DEAL WITH
THESE ISSUES IN THE RIGHT WAY. CONNECTING POINT'S VERONICA
GARCIA SPOKE WITH PEDRO SANCHEZ, JR., A LEADERSHIP SPEAKER AND
COACH AND TRAINER WHO OFFERED SOME TIPS HOW TO DEAL WITH
WORKPLACE CONFLICT. >> THERE WAS SOME RESEARCH AND
THERE WAS SOME STAGGERING STATISTICS THAT 85% OF EMPLOYEES
IN THE WORKPLACE HAVE CONFLICT AND FOR ME THAT WAS IMPRESSIVE.
THAT WAS A LOT OF -- THAT'S A HIGH -- HIGH NUMBER OF HAVING
CONFLICT ISSUES IN THE WORKPLACE AND THEN I STARTED DIGGING A
LITTLE BIT DEEPER AND THEY SAID 49% OF CONFLICT WITH PERSONALITY
CLASHES OR EGO. SO A LOT OF THE CONFLICTS SEE
PERSONALITY-WISE, COWORKERS, PEERS, MANAGERS EXECUTIVE
LEADERSHIP HAS TO DO A LOT OF IT PERSONALITY CLASHES OR EGO.
>> HMMM? SO IT'S NO WAY TO AVOID CONFLICT
IN THE WORKPLACE SO HOW CAN WE MANAGE DIFFERENT PERSONALITIES?
>> I'LL GRAB YOUR WORD MANAGE. YOU ARE CORRECT THERE'S NO WAY
TO AVOID CONFLICT. IF WE AVOID CONFLICT THE REALITY
IS THAT CONFLICT WILL NOT AVOID US, AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO GET
THE RESULTS THAT WE DO NOT DESIRE.
WE HAVE TO MANAGE AND NAVIGATE CONFLICT WITH PEOPLE AND FIRST
OF ALL, YOU GOT TO LEARN HOW TO MANAGE YOURSELF.
HOW DO YOU MANAGE? HOW DO YOU SELF-REGULATE AND HOW
DO YOU DEAL WITH PEOPLE WHEN YOU RECEIVE SOMETHING THAT YOU DON'T
AGREE WITH? WHAT'S YOUR BODY LANGUAGE?
HOW DO YOU REACT? WHAT'S YOUR FACIAL EXPRESSION?
WHY? BECAUSE THAT'S -- THE RECIPIENT
IS GOING TO RECEIVE THAT AND SAY, WAIT A MINUTE, HE'S PUTTING
A WALL OR HE'S NOT WILLING TO LISTEN THAT TO WHAT I HAVE TO
SHARE. >> SO HOW CAN WE CONFRONT THIS
KIND OF SITUATION AND WITH A COWORKER IN A WORKPLACE, FOR
EXAMPLE? >> I DO THIS DAILY WITH A TEAM.
I MANAGE A TEAM OF 12 NOW. THE BEST WAY TO CONFRONT IT IS
BY SETTING FIRST EXPECTATIONS. WHAT ARE YOUR AND WE CAN'TIONS?
ONE OF THE THINGS I TELL MY TEAM NEVER ASSUME SOMETHING.
YOU HAVE A VOICE. WITH YOUR VOICE PLEASE UTILIZE
IT. IF YOU DON'T LIKE SOMETHING AND
IF SOMETHING CAME ACROSS THE WRONG WAY, LET THE PEER KNOW,
HEY, WELL, YOU STATED -- IT DIDN'T COME ACROSS THE PROPER
WAY. IS THIS WHAT -- IS THIS WHAT YOU
MEAN BY THIS COMMENT THAT YOU STATED?
SO, FIRST OF ALL, YOU GOT TO UNDERSTAND YOURSELF, AND
SECONDLY YOU'VE GOT TO SET THE PROPER EXPECTATIONS TO THE
PERSON THAT YOU'RE EXPECTING SOMETHING FROM.
I FEEL SOMETIMES WE SET THE EXPECTATIONS HIGH, AND WE EVEN
TELL THE PEOPLE WHAT WE EXPECT AND THEN WE EXPECT A DIFFERENT
RESULT BUT THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE EXPECTING.
SO FROM MY PERSPECTIVE I ALWAYS TOOK IT FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF
I GOT TO TEACH THEM, I GOT TO COACH THEM THROUGH THE PROCESS
AND THIS IS WHAT I'M EXPECTING AND DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M
REQUESTING FROM YOU? >> HMMM?
>> PLEASE REPEAT IT. ONCE THEY DO WE HAVE A BETTER
UNDERSTANDING. >> UH-HUH.
HOW IMPORTANT IS TO FIND OUT THE PEOPLE SURROUND YOU NEED TO
TRUST IN YOU AS A LEADER? HOW WE CAN CONNECT THAT TRUST TO
UNDERSTAND I'M PART OF THE SOLUTION, NOT A CONFLICT?
>> BY SHARING THAT TRUST, YOU FIRST GOT TO SHOW UP TRUST BY
CONFRONTING THAT PERSON; RIGHT? SO, FOR EXAMPLE, IF I'M GOING TO
CONFRONT OR BRING TO ACTION SOMETHING THAT ONE OF MY
EMPLOYEES DID, I WILL TELL THEM -- WELL, FIRST OF ALL, WHAT
YOU DID WAS INCORRECT. AND THIS IS WHY.
IF IT WAS BECAUSE SOMETHING I SAID, I FIRST WANT TO BE THE
FIRST ONE TO APOLOGIZE IF I DIDN'T COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY.
SO AS A LEADER, I WANT TAKE THE HIT FIRST.
SO IF THEY HAVE A WALL UP, THEY CAN BRING IT DOWN AND NOW WE
HAVE A CONVERSATION. USUALLY THAT'S HOW I START MY
CONVERSATIONS. IF I DID ANYTHING -- FOR MY
EXPLANATION WAS INCORRECT, I WANT TO APOLOGIZE.
LET'S START FROM THERE. WHAT DID YOU UNDERSTAND WITH
THAT? >> HMMM?
>> AND THEN YOU CAN START, OF COURSE, COURSE-CORRECTING THE
PROBLEM AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS I'VE SEEN IN LEADERSHIP
IS THAT WE WANT TO CONFRONT THE PROBLEM, RIGHT, AND NOT FIND A
SOLUTION TO IT. >> EVEN THAT WORD IS BIG.
A PROBLEM. IT'S A NEGATIVE THOUGHT.
>> EXACTLY, EXACTLY. >> SO I TRY TO FIND WHAT'S
RIGHT, NOT WHO'S RIGHT IN THE SITUATION.
>> UH-HUH, RIGHT? >> I'M GOING TO SAY I APOLOGIZE
FOR THAT. IT WAS MY FAULT AND THE OTHER
PERSON WOULD SAY IT'S FOR MY FAULT, OKAY, AND UNDERSTAND WE
WEREN'T PERFECT IN THIS SITUATION OF COMMUNICATION.
THAT'S THE BIGGEST CONFLICT ISSUE COMMUNICATING.
NOW THAT WE KNOW THAT, NOW LET'S FIND A SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM.
>> UH-HUH. SO GIVE ME SOME TIPS, HOW I CAN
CONFRONT ANY SITUATION. HOW CAN I START THE CONVERSATION
IF I KNOW IT'S A PROBLEM. HOW?
>> ONE OF THE TIPS I WILL SAY IS FIRST EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE.
>> HMMM? >> YOU HAVE TO SELF-REGULATE
YOURSELF FIRST AS A LEADER BECAUSE AS A FOREMAN AND A
FRIEND THAT LEADERSHIP INFLUENCES FRIENDS AND YOU HAVE
TO HAVE INFLUENCE AND RESPECT, RIGHT, SO FIRST OF ALL, DON'T
ENTER THE CONFRONTATION OR THE MEETING THAT YOU'RE GOING TO
TALK ABOUT THIS ISSUE WITH A PERCEIVED IDEA OF WHAT THE
PROBLEM IS OR SHOULD BE. IF NOT, YOU SHOULD START THE
CONVERSATION WITH, OKAY, THERE'S -- THERE'S A PROBLEM
HERE, DO YOU SEE THE SAME WAY I SEE IT?
SO NEVER ASSUME. ALWAYS ASK.
NEVER START WITH, A PRECONCEIVED IDEA AND NOT BEGIN WITH, OKAY,
THERE'S A PROBLEM, HOW COULD WE SOLVE THIS TOGETHER?
I'M HERE TO HELP YOU SOLVE THIS. IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE TRAINING,
LET ME HELP YOU GET THE TRAINING.
IF YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO CONFRONT OR RESOLVE THIS ISSUE
WITH YOUR COWORKER, LET ME BE YOUR COACH AT THIS TIME AND HELP
YOU TALK TO YOUR PEER. IF I HAVE TO BE INVOLVED, LET ME
KNOW. >> SO WHAT IS THE BIGGEST
CHALLENGE YOU HAVE TO HAVE, YOU KNOW -- TO FACE WITHIN YOUR
COMPANY, FOR EXAMPLE? >> RIGHT NOW I WORK -- I'M
PRIVILEGED AND HONORED TO WORK FOR THE NUMBER 1 SOFTWARE
COMPANY IN THE WORLD C & C SOFTWARE WHICH WE -- WE'RE
PROMOTED THE NUMBER 1 WORKPLACE IN HARTFORD CURENT WE HAVE A
GRADE ATMOSPHERE BUT ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES I'VE
APPROACHED IS THE GROWTH OF MY DEPARTMENT, RIGHT, 5 YEARS AGO
WE STARTED WITH 3. NOW, WE HAVE 12.
DIFFERENT CULTURES, PERSONALITIES, IDEAS, THOUGHT
PROCESSES AND WITH THAT CONFLICT WILL OCCUR.
SO THAT'S BEEN MY BIGGEST CHALLENGE AND I DO IT DAILY.
I WORK WITH IT DAILY, RIGHT, SO MY BIGGEST NUMBER 1 PRIORITY IS,
MY PEOPLE. MY EMPLOYEES.
HOW COULD I SERVE THEM WITH A LEADERSHIP, PASSION, RIGHT, I'VE
BEEN WORKING WITH LEADERSHIP FOR 18 YEARS.
I NOW HAVE THE HONOR NOW TO MANAGE FOR 5 IN MY CORPORATION
WHERE I WORK AT BUT MY PASSION IS PEOPLE WITH NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATIONS FOR THE LAST 18 YEARS AND WORKING WITH PEOPLE,
THAT'S WHAT DRIVES ME. SO I TELL -- I TELL MY GUYS, YOU
GUYS ARE MY NUMBER 1 PRIORITY, MY EMPLOYEES.
HOW CAN I SERVE YOU TO BE THE BEST OF YOU.
>> ANY LAST RECOMMENDATION YOU CAN GIVE US?
>> LAST RECOMMENDATION IS AS A LEADER, AS A PERSON OF
INFLUENCE, AS A MANAGER FOREMAN OR PEER, YOU HAVE INFLUENCE TO
CHANGE, NUMBER 1. NUMBER 2 YOU HAVE INFLUENCE TO
CHANGE OTHERS. WITH THE PROPER INTENTION,
WHAT'S YOUR INTENTIONS. WHAT'S THE REASONS BEHIND YOUR
REQUEST? IS IT TO PROMOTE, IS IT TO GROW
OR IS IT REALLY TO DEMOTE? AND MAKE PEOPLE -- PUSH THEM TO
THE SIDE. MY REQUESTINGS IS, LOVE --
RECOMMENDTION IS LOVE PEOPLE. HELP PEOPLE GET BETTER AND YOU
HELP PEOPLE GET BETTER, AND YOU WILL GET BETTER AS WELL AS A
PERSON. ♪