Webinar: A Manager's Guide to the Emotional Workplace

Leave it to me to put this off to the last minute. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this webinar. I plan to watch more on the list that Heather sent. I wish I had watched this webinar and some of the others a few months before now. I had a situation here at the library that I could have really used the information to maybe have a better outcome. This webinar helped me to come to some truths about myself and my personality in how I deal with conflict and sensitive issues within the library. Not all of those truths were what I would like to see in myself.

The seminar brings up the Avoidance Syndrome. Eryn Kalish speaks of how we are trained from a young age to avoid situations because they are challenging and concerning. It was interesting when the audience was polled on the consequences of avoiding sensitive issues within there workplace. The majority wrote that the relationship and/or situation got worse when it was avoided. A very small percentage said that it disappeared or got better. Ms. Kalish explained that there are 3 main ways to dealing with intense feelings and they are 1) Attack it - Fight [this is usually associated with ego and someone being very defensive] 2) Stuff it - Flight [this is the person acting like they are not hearing you or acknowledging you] and 3) Shut down - Freeze [usually the person is feeling overwhelmed]. She also brought up the Feel and Deal with it way of dealing with these issues. This is when you either try to work through it alone or preferably work through it with the people involved.
Ms. Kalish really stresses throughout the webinar to be transparent and humble when dealing with sensitive situations and to avoid being defensive. People can feel when you have good intentions in the situation. Sometimes the situation calls for you to be direct but you can still maintain a connected feeling with the other person. The key is to know ourselves and be open and respectful always. I really loved what she said at the end of the webinar, "The more we're transparent with ourselves and each other about internal states, the more energy we'll have for the tasks ahead of us."
By understanding myself and how I deal with things I can better relate to those I work with and be more understanding.