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5 Relational Practices that Cannot Fail – Truth

Posted on January 11th, 2012 by John Johnson

Any criminal attorney acknowledges and probably counts on the fact that two people viewing the same situation can come away with very different descriptions of the “truth” as they experienced it. Relationships are helped when together people seek the truth of the matter. That calls for a suspension of prejudicial points of view.

  • Truth creates a new beginning.
  • Truth is foundational and can be built on.
  • Truth can be trusted when both parties embrace it.

Truth as one sees it is important to express because there is a real possibility that the other person sees things differently, which can become a source of agitation.

Posted in Business Management, Employee Management, Leadership | No Comments »

5 Relational Practices that Cannot Fail – Perseverance

Posted on January 9th, 2012 by John Johnson

Perseverance means to continue doing something in spite of the obstacles. Perseverance is not only critical in reaching business goals, but it’s vital in keeping relationships alive, healthy, and productive. Often, business relationships can break down due to poor or little communication and, if left unresolved, can spiral down into something that becomes toxic and unfixable. Perseverance means that you are willing to do whatever it takes to pull the relationship out of the ditch and put it back on track. Perseverance enables you to look past the current anger or hurt and control the situation, rather than allowing it to control you.

In my experience, when you come out the other end–assuming the other person sticks with you and works to heal the rift–the relationship becomes stronger and you both are more apt and able to deal with future conflicts (because there will always be future conflicts). As Sir Winston Churchill says, “It is the courage to continue that counts.”

Posted in Business Management, Customer Retention, Employee Management, Leadership | No Comments »

5 Relational Practices That Cannot Fail – Controlling Anger

Posted on January 5th, 2012 by John Johnson

Anger is toxic to relationships. Anger can often be observed as sulkiness, silence, or sarcasm (my preferred form). Examine the source of your anger– jealousy, pride, self-righteousness, fear, doggedness, loss of control, or downright cruelty. As an antidote to anger, try practicing:

  • Forgiveness: Keeps no record of wrongs. Do not gossip or hold past issues over another’s head to manipulate or feel superior. Confront personal conflicts and get to the bottom of them. It is said that holding onto past hurts damages you more than the hurter.
  • Acceptance of criticism: View criticism as the other person’s truth and dig for evidence, including the fact that the critic may be correct in having identified a blind spot.
  • Sensitivity to others: I often observe that ”sensitive” people are only sensitive to themselves and seldom others. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes and find out where how he or she sees it. Understanding it the key to overcoming anger.

Anger is normally directed outward. Try directing it inward to explore its roots.

Posted in Business Management, Company Culture, Employee Management, Leadership | No Comments »


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