http://www.hechuantimes.com Management and Marketing Planning Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:54:29 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 http://www.hechuantimes.com/experiencing-stress-and-playing-with-it/ http://www.hechuantimes.com/experiencing-stress-and-playing-with-it/#comments Sun, 21 Jun 2009 09:26:48 +0000 http://www.hechuantimes.com/?p=161 If you are experiencing stress yourself, you might find it hard to listen to members because your attention level will continually wander to other subjects. You can correct this problem by restricting your standard open-door policy, instead setting aside times in which you are able to give members your full attention. Also, ask members to avoid engaging you in hit-and-run conversations in the hallways. If you feel that it will be impossible to enforce this rule, keep a pad with you at all times to take notes (no matter how simple the discussion) on what is said and on required follow-up actions.
Before meeting with a member who wishes to air concerns:
• Clear your desk of any projects that could distract you from the discussion.
• Ask other members not to barge in on you unless there is an emergency.
• Have someone cover calls for you to avoid additional distractions.
• Provide a clear mental focus point for the discussion by summarizing during the first few minutes of the discussion (1) the team member’s key purpose for talking with you, (2) the type of help or assistance that the member is requesting from you, and (3) how long the discussion will last.
• Take notes during, pot after, the discussion. If you have a computer, create a Team Concerns File, and enter notes directly into this file during the discussion. This will eliminate wasting time later on searching for notes and will provide a single focal point for referencing team concerns.
• If, during the discussion, your attention wanders to other important subjects, ask the speaker to stop for a second while you make a quick memory-jogger note for later reference. If you find yourself unable to concentrate on the subject at hand, honestly explain that you are having trouble focusing on the discussion and reschedule the discussion for a later time. Avoid one of the most common mistakes made by stressed-out managers-trying to be two places at once.

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