Practicing Regular Respect Is Easy Until It Isn’t
For the most part, while entering or exiting a public location such as an office building, coffee shop, or retailer, you’ll keep the door open for someone you don’t know. You’ll also say “excuse me” when you run into someone in public, if you’re like the vast majority of people. When someone sneezes, you’ll greet them with a “bless you.”...
Three Key Ingredients For Repairing A Work Relationship
Read Gregg’s most recent article featured on the Forbes Coaches Council. Recently, a coaching client who is a specialist in software sales told me she’d lost respect for a colleague who’d engaged in bullying behavior toward her and others on their team. The backstory: They’d all been working from home during the pandemic, and the constant stress to perform, compounded by Zoom fatigue and...
President Biden’s call for civility in the White House…
Recently featured in The San Diego Union Tribune, Gregg Ward offers an opinion on how to ensure President Biden’s call for civility doesn’t backfire. During the first day of his presidency, Joe Biden conducted a virtual swearing in of a group of White House appointees over a videoconference call. He then presented them with a very stern warning: “I’m not joking when I say this,”...
America the Respectful?
Photo by Alex Martinez on Unsplash Although it sounds hyperbolic and simplistic, there is little doubt in most people’s minds that this is the most important election in modern American history. And though I sincerely doubt that what I write here will do much to sway anyone, as the Executive Director of the Center for Respectful Leadership, I see it as my responsibility – my duty –...
Wait…what? We Agree?
Something odd just happened in American politics that deserves attention. Two opposing candidates for Governor of the state of Utah – one a Democrat, the other a Republican – bucked the advice of seasoned political advisors and appeared together in a political ad they both approved. You read that right, they appeared together. Their message: while we represent two opposing parties...
Religious Discrimination, in the Grocery Store?!
Photo by Natalia Rosa on Unsplash During this week’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings for judge Amy Coney Barrett, who is also a member of the conservative Christian community People of Praise, concerns are being expressed about how the nominee might rule on questions involving religion and the workplace. Given this, at least one recent case, which centers on the government suing the...
Disrespectful Behavior at Work: When the Facts Offend
Recently, I gave a talk at a major HR conference where I referred to data demonstrating that, while the frequency of and sensitivity to disrespectful behavior at work has been steadily increasing over the last 20 years, there appears to have been an uptick following the election of Donald Trump. I concluded this segment of my talk by saying, “I think we can agree that from an HR perspective,...
The Late, Late, Late Disrespectful Show
I have a personal habit that drives some people nuts: I’m always early for meetings. It doesn’t matter if I’m going to a business meeting, a training presentation, or even a dinner date; typically, I show up at least 15-20 minutes before I’m expected. As you can imagine, this can be problematic, because often as not, the people I’m meeting with just aren’t ready for me. Believe me, when I was...
Advocating for Respect: Overcoming Skeptics Who Claim We’re Oversensitive and Too Politically Correct
Hearing about Donald Trump’s recent meeting in which he made disrespectful comments about immigrants and other countries reminded me of an incident I witnessed over 20 years ago, while facilitating a corporate leadership strategy session. I watched – paralyzed – as the CEO of a global company literally screamed obscenities and personal abuse at his direct reports for failing to meet their...