0:00:00.0 Jen Thornton: How many of us have had that near impossible boss or peer we had to work with, and at the time, all we could see was the bad stuff? Well, let's talk about how there might be gifts, and that stuff that's just not fun.
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0:00:18.6 JT: Welcome back friends. This is your place for cutting edge tools, exercises, best practices, and modern leadership strategies. Because when the world is changing, it's time to bring our leadership styles along for the ride. Whether you're a company leader, a corporate visionary, an entrepreneur, this show gives you new insights into the neuroscience and the language of leadership, plus practical steps and tips to lead your team in a powerful way. It'll also help you keep your people happy and engaged all while achieving your biggest goals. I'm your host, Jen Thornton. I'm a talent strategist, a brain-based executive coach, speaker, and the founder of 304 Coaching. Now, let's fix leadership.
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0:01:01.0 JT: I wish I could say I've never worked for a horrible boss, and I wish I could say I've never had a peer that made me feel like they were out for me at every turn. But just like you and everyone else in the world, at times, we have to work with people that don't align to us ethically or they work in a way that's different than us. At the time, or if you're in that situation right now, it feels like there are no gifts in this situation. It just all sucks. But what I know now that I didn't know many years ago, no matter how horrible the situation is with this person, there will be gifts in it. In fact, I wouldn't be here, talking to this mic, if I didn't go through a time where I was pretty miserable with someone I worked with. The gift that I could not see at the time is that I had the courage to go out and start my own business. [chuckle] My mindset was failing at a business would be less painful than the situation I was in. Desperate times force us to dig in and do big, brave things. And it's so weird to even think back to that time. It's also weird to imagine myself doing anything else other than what I do today. But if it wasn't for the gift of that horrible situation, I'm not sure I would have taken the chance. So let's look at a list of potential gifts you could be receiving by working through a difficult situation with someone.
0:02:30.3 JT: No matter what the outcome is, difficult times help us build emotional resilience. Difficult bosses and peers serve as live training grounds for enhancing our emotional intelligence. They teach us to manage our emotions, respond rather than react, and navigate complex interpersonal dynamics. Each interaction is an opportunity to practice patience, empathy, self-awareness. And by serving and controlling our own emotional responses, we develop critical skills that set us up for enhancing our leadership capabilities and our professional relationships. And you'll also strengthen your resilience. Working with challenging individuals tests our limits and push us out of our comfort zones. This uncomfortable process, however, though, it's really a ground for building resilience. You learn to adapt to unpredictable situations, you find solutions in really difficult problems, and you bounce back from setbacks with greater strength. The resilience built in the face of adversity becomes a cornerstone of your professional character, equipping you to handle future challenges with grace.
0:03:49.3 JT: You're also building your communication skills. Effective communication is key in managing difficult relationships. Bad bosses and coworkers force you to refine your communication skills, teaching you how to articulate your thoughts clearly, listen actively and convey your message in a way that minimizes conflict. These experiences teach you the art of persuasion and the importance of timing in communication. These are skills that are invaluable in leadership and negotiation scenarios.
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0:04:24.4 JT: Let's take a quick break from the conversation. Does your company need to prepare those upcoming leaders to take the reign? To learn more about our leadership academies and our coaching, and to see if your company is a good fit for our transformation programs, visit 304coaching.com.
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0:04:48.4 JT: You will learn to foster empathy and some understanding. Interacting with difficult individuals offer a unique perspective into the wide range of personalities that make up the workplace. It'll challenge you to look beyond the surface-level behaviors and consider the underlying reasons behind someone's actions. This deeper understanding fosters empathy, enables you to relate and work effectively with a diverse range of people. And this is a skill that is increasingly valuable in today's globalized work environments. Ugh, this is good stuff. We have to do this. Working with difficult bosses or coworkers, you will start to uncover your personal triggers and your own blind spots. Challenging interactions often reveal more about ourselves than we expect. They expose our triggers, our biases, our blind spots. It provides an opportunity for self-reflection and growth. By understanding what sets you off, and why you react certain ways, you can work on these areas, leading to improved personal effectiveness and professional relationships. You also learn how to be an example, in a good way.
0:06:00.4 JT: Finally, bad bosses and difficult coworkers provide clear examples of how not to behave. These experiences allow you to reflect on your own values, your own leadership style, and the impact you wanna have on those around you. They serve as a reminder of the importance of leading with integrity, compassion, respect for others. Never forget you can't control what others do, but you can always control how you respond. In a world where people are always going to be people, you'll encounter individuals that are difficult to work with for whatever reason. While difficult bosses and coworkers may test our patience and our resilience, they also offer us invaluable lessons that contribute to our own growth as professionals and as individuals. And these are the gifts. But never, ever forget you have choices. You have choices on how to think about a person or a situation. You have choices on how you let those situations impact you. And most importantly, you have a choice on how you react. See the gifts even in the darkest moments because no one ever fixed leadership by only seeing the negative.
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0:07:20.1 JT: Thanks for listening to Let's Fix Leadership. By hanging out with me today, you're already on your path. If you're looking to learn more and to see if your company is a good fit for our coaching and leadership education, then hey, visit 304coaching.com. If you got value out of this podcast, share it with a friend and it would mean the world to me if you would leave a thoughtful review and a rating on iTunes. Thanks again for listening, and I appreciate your work in fixing leadership.
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