Fight to Win

M A N A G E M E N T
M A G A Z I N E
V O L I I : F I G H T T O W I N
Fight 2 Win
I N T H I S I S S U E
THE 5 THINGS THAT
By Ron Keith
PREDICT
One of my favorite movie characters is Rocky. The
EMPLOYEE/MANAGER
ultimate underdog, the long-shot that somehow finds
within himself the secret of unmatched power—the DIVORCE
will to win! Everyday thousands of manager’s strap
on their work gloves, jump in the ring and fight to SPOTLIGHT:
answer emails, make calls, review reports and
EMOTIONAL IQ
resolve problems. They’re in the fight, but faced
against the imposing opponent of deadlines, lack of
COACH'S CORNER
resources and doing more with less, it’s easy to
believe the fight is lost.
But the challenges facing today's managers can't be won with skill alone. It requires
determination, tenacity, intellect and a willingness to get off the canvas every time you’re
knocked down. Don’t be satisfied with status-quo, going through the motions and simply
surviving. No TKO’s allowed, today you FIGHT TO WIN! Your fight is being watched by
your team, are you showing them how to win or how to lose?

The 5 Things That Predict
Employee/Manager Divorce
Inspired by Dr. John Gottman
Divorce occurs when employees and
managers no longer operate in unison. When
a manager fails to nurture the proper
relationship with their team, winning
becomes problematic. Below are 5 predictors
that divorce could be eminent.
1. Harsh Startup: The most obvious
indicator that a conflict discussion is not
going to go well is the way it begins. When a
discussion leads off with criticism and/or
sarcasm (a form of contempt), it has begun
with a “harsh startup.” The research shows
that if your discussion begins with a harsh
startup, it will inevitably end on a negative
note. Statistics say that 96% of the time, you
can predict the outcome of a conversation
based on the first three minutes of the
interaction.
2. The Four Horsemen: Certain kinds of
negativity, if allowed to run rampant, are so
lethal to a relationship that psychologists
refer to them as the Four Horsemen of the
Apocalypse. Usually these four horsemen
clip-clop into the heart of an employee/
manager relationship in the following order:
criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and
stonewalling.
3. Flooding: Flooding occurs when
negativity – whether in the guise of criticism
or contempt or even defensiveness - is so
overwhelming and sudden, that it leaves you
shell-shocked.
We can predict, then, by habitual harsh
startup and frequent flooding brought on
by the presence of the four horsemen
during disagreements that a relationship
is condemned to failure. Although each
of these factors alone can predict
division, they usually coexist in a
dysfunctional employee/manager
relationship.
4. Failed Repair Attempts:
During an argument, how both parties
attempt to resolve previous issues plays
a major role for any positive interactions
in the future. These are referred to as
repair attempts. Repair attempts are the
efforts both parties make to de-escalate
the tension during a discussion. If these
repair attempts fail, it is an accurate
marker for unhappy future.
5. Bad Memories: Successful
relationships draw strength from past
adversity weathered together. Take a
look at the history of any successful
relationship and you will see that each
has gone through challenges. When
recollecting experiences, if a
relationship has a history of being
unable to weather the storms or not
having positive outcomes, there is a
high probability for failure.

Leadership
"A leader can be
vision,
is when your
very destructive or
very inspiring. It
behaviors
and
synchronize
comes down to their
level of emotional
intelligence."
to inspire others to unite.
John Mackey, CEO and founder
of Whole Foods

To win, we must find solutions to the
common problems onsite. However,
this can't happen if team members
aren't operating on the same
wavelength. This includes verbal and
non-verbal communication. Nothing
creates miscommunication faster than
emotions clouding our minds.
SPOTLIGHT:
Emotional
Intelligence
Emotional intelligence plays a significant
role in a manager's ability to develop
interpersonal relationships.
As managers, the responsibility for
knowing oneself is doubly important as
your emotional expressions have a direct
impact on the quality of conversations
with employees. This consequently
impacts the quality of team morale and
productivity. It is easy to forget that when
managing processes we foremost
manage people. Employees are creatures
of logic as well as creatures of emotion.
They are able to sense emotional ebb and
flow through tone, body language,
and the words a person uses.
By becoming aware of one's own
emotions and patterns, managers can
begin to recognize the same emotive
cues in others and work to build stronger
communication skills.
"Research has shown that your
own emotional state affects
your ability to perceive the
emotions of others."
- James Bradford Terrell
Strategies must be in place that help
managers detach and gain
perspective without the influence of
"high-power" emotions such as anger
or frustration. Over time, these
strategies allow leaders to manage
their own emotional state rather than
letting emotions call the shots. This
creates space for conversation void of
emotional charge, and a clear path to
solutions, as well as encourages this
same self-control in team members.

Coach's Corner
Today's Coach's Corner
comes from Rocky Balboa!
“Let me tell you something you
already know. The world ain’t all
sunshine and rainbows. It is a very
mean and nasty place and I don’t care
how tough you are, it will beat you to
your knees and keep you there
permanently if you let it. You, me or
nobody is gonna hit as hard as life.
But it ain’t about how hard you hit; it’s
about how hard you can get hit and
keep moving forward. It’s how much
you can take, and keep moving
forward. That’s how winning is done.
Now, if you know what you’re worth,
then go out and get what you’re
worth. But you gotta be willing to take
the hits, and not point fingers and
blame other people. Cowards do that
and that ain’t you. You’re better than
that!”
FURTHER READING
AVAILABLE THROUGH THE
GSC TRAINING DEPARTMENT
This edition's Spotlight on Emotional Intelligence comes largely from the
brilliant minds of Marcia Hughes and James Bradford Terrell in "The
Emotionally Intelligent Team: Understanding and Developing the
Behaviors of Success". Request your business summary from the GSC
Training Department today to gain new insights on employee performance
and their 7 skills to building an emotionally intelligent team .
Have a request you'd like to see featured? Reach out to us at nmckinney@gscapts.com!