Posted on December 28th, 2009 — in Misc., Social Stuff, Universe Of Psychology
For some unidentified cause, men are prone to treasure and from time to time take in useless knowledge facts. This useless knowledge is the consequence of a millenium of fact collecting and arrangement performed by nations all over the globe. Our attraction to random useless knowledge may be just as much a byproduct of our own existential itch to collect statistics to help us identify ourselves within that world. Our individuality may very well endure in the infinite knowledge accumulated since the beginning of written earthborn civilization.
While we are so often confused about the import of these seemingly useless bits of knowledge, we are also driven by them. Lists of these seemingly useless bits of knowledge have been compiled for ages. Even in the modern era, we see them in books like “Guinness World Records”, whose publication has been in the hands of many millions members of our species. Within these lists, we find that our own strange worries and neuroses may not be so strange. This provides us with a degree of comfort that may help us continue acting in the style we have become accustomed to.
If we lived in a planet whose goals and motives were not collected, our our own enduring heart might also be mangled by the ticking clock of time.
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Posted on March 22nd, 2009 — in Universe Of Psychology
A personality quiz is a common test that we all go though from time to time. Not all of us understand that it’s not just a questionnaire. The difference between a personality quiz and an application form is essential. For example, if you are applying for a job and fill in both of them during the interview, the latter can tell your employer more about your education, job experience, and family status. While the first one can show what kind of person you are, how you are likely to act in any given situation, and whether your employer can trust you.
No matter how sure psychologists are about a personality quizzes they make it is not possible to totally predict anyone’s behavior no matter how sophisticated a test is or how educated the person who designed it was.
Let’s think of the factors that may influence your behavior in a certain situation:
- your surrounding
- your mood
- time of the day
- fear (or its absence)
- how much you have drunk yesterday (just as an example), etc.
Going back to the topic it is absolutely possible to succeed in your personality quiz. It is as clear as day - be your self!
You shouldn’t put too much weight on your scores for this type of personality quiz. The questions are rarely scientific and there is no sense getting your panties in a wad over something that has no real merit.
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Posted on June 20th, 2008 — in Universe Of Psychology
Anger can manifest itself in many ways. Most people know anger because it manifests inself as physical abuse. Striking another in anger is never best. Now that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a time or place for correction . However discipline and anger are never partners in correct parenting.
First of all correction is the deliberate act of recognizing error or mistake and endeavoring to help change the behavior with the wisdom and knowledge that you have but in your opinion the transgressor lacks. In other words a deliberate decision to help, through knowledge and wisdom. Notice the lack of emotion. Emotion is a result of feelings. You have a feeling and your body reacts instinctively with an emotion. No thought is generally required.
Now if you can funnel your emotion into its proper channels then you can begin to study the act and the appropriate action, not reaction. We too often these days react to everything we experience with our five senses. Too much like animals and not enough like intelligent human beings. As humans we need to continue to evolve into more intelligent sensitive beings who care for our fellow man while still cling to our heritage of God and family and country.
Alan Speaker Jr. is a humorist who sometimes takes a view of life that seems askew or askance.
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Posted on April 30th, 2008 — in Universe Of Psychology
Things appear to be fine in your organization. There is a sense of calm flowing above the cubicles. Employees are interacting in a respectful way and are working well as a team.
Then your company lands a huge new contract. Everyone is working overtime. Voices are rising and fingers are pointing. The majority of your day is spent playing referee. You walk outside to see if there is a full moon in sight. When you return, there is another employee in your office waiting to complain about a co-worker.
Conflict in the workplace is inevitable. When you throw a group of people together, in close quarters, differences are bound to surface. But, the news is not all bad. Some conflict in the organization can be beneficial. Differences of opinion encourage creativity, change and progress. If addressed early, conflict can also provide insight into larger issues that may be brewing.
Sources of conflict
When situations get out of control, they can be difficult to address. Familiarizing yourself with the following common sources of conflict will help you to diffuse situations before they occur:
Lack of clarity - Employees wind up in turf wars when boundaries aren’t clearly defined. A well-written job description, along with clearly defined reporting relationships can help prevent this situation.
Limited resources - In today’s environment where people are asked to do more with less, there is often conflict over time, money, supplies and even space. When you observe conflict in the workplace, determine if employees have adequate resources to do their work. Whenever possible, include employees in the resource allocation process. This will provide them with a better understanding of how allocation decisions are made in your organization.
Conflicts of interest - Individuals fighting for personal goals and losing sight of organizational goals can create quite a ripple in the organization. Continually remind employees how their personal goals and efforts fit with the organization’s strategic business goals.
Power struggles -The need to control is at the root of many workplace conflicts. Who should have that information? Who should be involved on that project? Who has the corner office? Recognize that power struggles exist. Teach employees how to manage relationships in the organization so they can effectively navigate through political mine fields.
Tips for dealing with conflict
A strong leader gives employees the tools needed to resolve conflict situations on their own, rather than continuously playing the role of referee. Here are some suggestions to help you transition from referee to coach:
Encourage employees to work things out on their own. Provide them with guidance.
Ask employees what they’ve done to work out a situation.
Look for core causes.
Help the individual focus on specific behaviors, not personality.
Redirect the person making the complaint back to the individual he or she is having the conflict with and offer suggestions on how to approach this person.
Request this person give you feedback on how things went. Offer additional feedback, if appropriate.
Since disagreement is inevitable, it makes good business sense to train employees and management on how to effectively deal with conflict in the workplace. Your investment will reap immediate dividends. Employees will spend less time focusing on one another and more time focusing on your customers. Listen closely. Calm has returned to your organization.
© 2005 Human Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
Roberta Chinsky Matuson is the President of Human Resource Solutions (http://www.yourhrexperts.com) and has been helping companies align their people assets with their business goals. She is considered an expert in generational workforce issues. Roberta publishes a monthly newsletter “HR Matters” http://www.yourhrexperts.com/hrjoin.cgi which is jammed with resources, articles and tips to help companies navigate through sticky and complicated HR workforce issues. She can be reached at 413-582-1840 or Roberta@yourhrexperts.com.
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