Do people underestimate the importance of interpersonal relationships in the workplace?
No. 1, I think people do. No. 2, the educational system does. The biggest rap on MBA programs is they’re not training leaders, they’re training technicians, and I think the educational system grossly underprepares people for people issues – leadership issues, teamwork issues. You’re big on sentence completion as a technique, so let me throw one at you: “The average workplace would be a happier place if …” If the manager regularly asked people how he or she could become a more effective leader. And if the people regularly asked each other how each person could be a more effective partner or team member, and listened and followed up on a regular basis. What are some ways to determine what your own annoying habits are? Ask. Get in the habit of asking people. Is it fair to say you’re less concerned with changing people’s attitudes than changing their behavior? Yes. To give you an example: Everybody gets mad sometimes. There’s nothing wrong with that. But that doesn’t mean you need to scr
