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Secrets From a Coach - Debbie Green & Laura Thomson's Podcast
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Secrets From a Coach - Debbie Green & Laura Thomson's Podcast
221. Working Well With Your Opposite - Yin/Yang
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In the final episode of our 4-part series exploring how to reduce drama in our work lives, we explore the how to work well with people who have an opposite approach to how they work to yourself. Those who prefer detail vs big picture, who needs facts vs stories, who appreciate advanced thinking time vs enjoy brainstorming in the moment. As nature reminds us, there are huge advantages by balancing the yin to the yang, and as sure as day becomes night, being able to work across these differences is a useful skill that leads to collaboration as well as harmonious relationships.
A useful listen for anyone who knows they have an 'opposite' in their team and wants to benefit from this in the year ahead (rather than 'cope' with it!)
Working With Opposites for Harmony
Speaker 1Secrets from a coach Thrive and maximise your potential in the evolving workplace . Your weekly podcast with Debbie Green of Wishfish and Laura Thompson-Staveley of Phenomenal Training . Debs , laura , how are you doing ? I'm doing very well , thank you . And , by the way , debs , did you read that 130 page document I sent you in Fontaine last week at 13.26 ?
Speaker 2Maybe I didn't actually , Laura . When was that ? Did you say ?
Speaker 1Internal voice . Why didn't she read that email ? I put so many hours of effort into it . If only and this is what this topic is going to be all about on this episode , debs , isn't it which is fourth in our four-part focus , looking at how to reduce workplace drama we thought it might be quite cool to end looking at how do you work well with your opposite , your yin to your yang . So , debs , I might like writing 130 page documents .
Speaker 2I don't by the way , spoiler alert I was going to say I do know you don't , but I get where you're coming from .
Speaker 1And then what happens if you're working with people who just have a fundamentally different set of preferences in terms of how they like to work . So , before we look at some practical aspects , debs , how much of a common theme is this in either your one-to-ones or the workshops that you're facilitating this idea of , oh , how do I work with people that just have a different working style for myself ? So how much of a live topic is this right now ?
Speaker 2It is a live topic and it does come up in actually in most coaching , most one-to-ones , most team stuff , definitely in some of the workshops that we do , laura , because it's just this well , they don't get me , or I don't know how to get the best out of them , or I ask them to do something . They don't do it and when you start talking about they just might be different to you , they might have an opposite approach . What do talking about ? They just might be different to you , they might be , have an opposite approach . What do you know about them ? It's like what do you mean ? I've got to find out about them first .
Speaker 2You know it's like because if you know yourself , you know what you like don't like , and therefore you've got to find out what other people do like don't like , how to work well with them , how what they do want to hear , how to communicate and I know we do a lot when we do our insights profiles for people , isn't it , Lord ? It's like the magic happens when they get that 18-page report and they look at the working with your opposite , as it gets called in insights , and you can see light bulbs going off all over the place and it is really , really important to create , I suppose , that harmony in working together . Otherwise it just . How do we complement each other , how do we embrace the differences , how do we use that in inverted commas so that there is harmony , which , you know , avoids any conflict or inefficiencies , which is ultimately what we all want to do . Right , we want to be effective and we want to have harmonious working relationships , so why would we not find out about our opposites if we just are clashing all the time ?
Speaker 1And you use the word harmony .
Speaker 1I think what's really interesting here in this second half of this shape-shifting world of work decade we're in , so the mid-2020s is we could have been talking about this 20 , 30 years ago .
Speaker 1I mean .
Speaker 1There's always been an interest in introverts versus extroverts , for example , and maybe a bit more of a fresh take on ambivert .
Speaker 1You know , we can all sort of be a bit of it , but the thing with hybrid working or the thing with flexible working , where we might not always have that in-room chemistry to smooth things out , is suddenly it might be a lot more visible those differences in working preferences . So those people who will sit there quietly and read through lots of detail and prepare for a meeting and those people for whom prefer to maybe do it on the fly and kind of shoot from the hip and ask some disruptive questions right there in the midst of it and where we might have sat next to each other and there would have been that familiar rapport . If now the only time you see each other is an online Teams call once a week , it's going to become even more obvious those differences , and I guess what can then lead to is if all I can see is the difference , what you haven't done in relation to what I've done , then that's going to create irritation , and if there's irritation , that's going to link to stress and pressure and et cetera , et cetera .
Navigating Differences in Communication
Speaker 2Yeah , you're so right , laura , and I think , interestingly , when you were on so many Tombs calls , I was like they do sometimes feel like that . They do sometimes feel like that Zoom or Teams call and also that body language of the different preferences as well . So you might have someone that is really thinking about it , but their facial expression may look like they're angry or they might be cross . And if you're on the other side , where you just feed off body language and want to have some nods going on to make sure that you're on the right track , so there's an interaction from a non-verbal communication point of view that can also cause havoc . Because if someone's sitting there quite stony faced and they're really intensely looking on the screen , you might read that as somebody that is not interested or is not happy , but it may be their way of processing stuff .
Speaker 2So I think we've got to be smarter at reading the body language , not trying to guess it , because that obviously doesn't work , but again , having a conversation to go , how do you like to work ? What do you see ? If I'm on a screen and you see me concentrating , it doesn't mean I think you're rubbish or you'll think you're talking a load of crap . It just means I'm processing it in my head , so my face might look different to what you would expect . So yeah , I had someone say she had a resting bitch face on a and I went what do you mean ? And she said , well , I sit on a call like this . And she changed her face completely and I went whoa , ok , I get where you're coming from .
Speaker 1Maybe we need to work on that a little bit , it's all that stuff .
Speaker 2I think that we just need to find out .
Speaker 1And , of course , when life is sweet and there's enough time for all the work that needs to be done to be done in a way in a nice ordered fashion , these differences are a bit less apparent . Yes , the thing is , it's when you are least got your game face on , when you're least feeling on top of your workload , that these kind of real preferences , you know , can sort of leak out and potentially cause a challenge . I think what's quite interesting is if we just take the sort of the first one of introverse extroverse , I know you've got some great stuff that can be some other things that raise our awareness .
Speaker 1But before we sort of leap into looking at some of these ways in which the yin to the yang can get the best out of each other , how important is emotional intelligence in all of this ? So , am I right in thinking Debs , anyone can work with anyone as long as they're able to manage themselves and read the room . Is that ?
Speaker 2Ultimately , fundamentally , that's it . Room 101 , that's as simple as it can be is know yourself and read the room and then regulate your emotions around that , but also connect with the other person . Well , that is it Seek to understand , but people complicate it .
Speaker 1Then to be understood and then to be understood .
Speaker 2Yeah , but people complicate it massively and there's so many , like we've talked about on this series . There are so many layers to us as humans that come to play sometimes that it's really hard . But if in that moment , you have a level of awareness , real awareness , from an intelligent , emotionally intelligent perspective , and if your intent is to have a positive interaction or a positive impact on the people that you're talking to or with , you'll come across like that even you know . So . Emotional intelligence is like the gift that keeps on giving um and to invest , understanding the impact , the importance of it . If you get that right , oh , you'll be sailing , but if you get it wrong , create waves and choppy waters , as you always talk about . Yeah , for me it's like get that bit right , the rest will just feel like easy to some extent , but it doesn't always work that way . We love complicating stuff , yeah , but of course that's why a lot of this stuff can't be automated .
Speaker 2No , oh my God , here we go , Laura Tell me , tell me .
Speaker 1Just shoe on that in prize it in . Come on , we've got three under our belt . We haven't really talked about robots that much this year .
Speaker 2No , we haven't , and also Laura , especially as we've done over 50,000 downloads by the time this episode goes out . Yeah , I think yeah . Would a robot be able to have churned out as much stuff as we have over that time ? Not in the way that we do it , right .
Speaker 1No , no , I can't see a robot having two pet cats that are marauding all over the place rubbing up and down the speaker . But I think with the yeah 50,000 downloads , yeah , incredible , we're both buzzing and yeah , roll on the rest of this year . We've got some fantastic guests that are coming . So , we'll tempt you with those at the end of this episode . So back to the whole differences thing . So if we were to have a look at , in fact , let's build on that cat's idea .
Speaker 1So , we've sometimes used a cute way to describe introverts , extroverts , as an introvert maybe has quite a feline , cat-like energy .
Speaker 1So if you want to make friends with a cat , you might not necessarily bound up to a cat , rub it really violently , chuck it a ball and then make best friends with a cat . So you might work with some quite introverted preference people . You might be an introvert yourself for whom actually , in terms of that getting to know you stage , you prefer it just a bit calmer , a bit ordered and nothing that feels too sort of pressured . So we could already start to imagine what a good getting to know you project kickoff meeting might involve . Let's say , you've got a pet dog . So how do you make friends with a dog ? Well , you don't just leave it on its own in a room and let it fend for itself or get lonely , because a dog really likes to have interaction . So , a bit like you might have some extroverts who are in your team , you might be an extrovert . It actually is a bit of a lonely space if there's too much time to sit there and think and not have something to sort of run around and chase . So those introverts , extroverts , it just brings quite a lighthearted way to look at . Actually , dogs and cats can coexist beautifully together in that harmony . As you talked about , introvert , extrovert people can work brilliantly , you know , in that terms of that yin and that yang , that sort of light to the shade , as long as there's that element of self-awareness , as you said , and that social awareness .
Speaker 1So let's say you're someone who think of an idea and you're like , oh my God , let me put a team's call out and just sort of blurt it out . Then that might be how your brain likes to work . So I need to talk it out loud to then know what I think . But the other seven people in your team , that might be the biggest disruptor that afternoon and it's really taken them off their flow and has set them back . Yeah , because actually their preference would be can you give me some thinking time and then I'll speak out loud ?
Speaker 1So , very simply , and we're just sharing stuff that we all know , but it's kind of what's ahead in your working week coming up next , where actually is there an expectation for people to have instant thoughts on the spot ? Some people might be quite comfortable with that , other people might prefer a heads up , and there's been quite a few workshops we've been facilitating recently where actually people have had that wake up call of ah , actually I'm quite a high extrovert , I'm putting demands on my colleagues to think instantly of ideas and actually their preference might be a couple of days before the meeting . Could I pick your brains about X , y , z and that 48 hours to incubate on that means that you're going to get a lot higher quality interaction when you're there , because there's been some thinking time . So do you think to speak or do you speak to think ? Is that the way to sum it up , deb ? Is that sort of difference ?
Speaker 2Yeah , it is . Yeah , I think that's a great way , and as long as you've told people that as well because I think that's the other challenge is , people don't always say how they like to work , and I know I always say , look , I'm just going to think this out loud because that's how my brain works , so I don't want you to do anything with it if I'm working with my opposite type , and because they might automatically think that they've got to then do something about it , whereas actually it's my brain just processing what might be going on , whether it makes sense or not . So therefore , you know that . They know that they're not expected to take notes , they're not expected to do anything apart from just listen , whereas if you know you had somebody on the other side where you just launched into it , they might go oh , and there's no clear boundaries , there's no clear roles , what happens next ? None of that is being articulated . They might just naturally go away and do it , and then they come back with it and you go oh no , that's not what I wanted , that's not what I was expecting you to do . And then that's where the conflict can come , because you weren't clear on what was expected .
Speaker 2What are the boundaries , what do I want you to do in this or not ? Or I just need you to listen to me because I think I'm not making sense and so sometimes signposting what you want from the other person can help overcome some of those natural instincts to just go and do oh , I think they must want me to do that then . And I'll run off and do it . And then it's like , oh , no , I didn't want you to do that . And it's like , oh , you know , so it's . It stops all of that deflatedness and that , if you're like aloofness , sometimes if you go back to the cat , they look at you with distaste . Sometimes , if you've ever done , I don't mind , do um . So and I'm bouncing around as a puppy , going , please love me , please love me , and the cats are looking at me , going .
Speaker 2So I think it's really important that , um , we , we are just clear in the communication as well what do you want , what do you expect ? This is how we're going to work it together . All of that lovely signposting stuff that we I know we've talked about it , but it just creates clarity , understanding People know where they are in that moment , not forever . So I think some of that responsibility is on us to say , look , I'm just going to chuck some stuff out there , don't want you to do anything with it .
Speaker 2Just listen and then ask me loads and loads of questions about it afterwards , or give me your thoughts or whatever it is you want from that other person . Just be really clear so that you're not going on assumptions or your perspective of it is going to be different . You've made that clear upfront , I think , because asking questions can really help about that . So what's most important to you how do you like to work ? What sort of approach do you take if we're having to solve some problems or come up with creative ideas Asking , because then you'll know what you're dealing with .
Speaker 1Let's have a look in a moment . I'm just midway reading a really fascinating book that actually just speaks into my mind about actually , this could link really nicely . So we've looked at introverts and extroverts . We've looked at how the foundation skill is emotional intelligence , so I can read myself and I can read the others to then be able to intelligently adapt , dial up , dial down as languages . Let's have a look at some other areas of where there might be some differences , that yin to the yang . So , as well as the cats and dogs , what might be some other opportunities to blend well together . So , debs , right , go on , lorne . I'm about a third of the way through this book , which obviously in my mind means I've finished it Of course You've already predicted the ending .
Speaker 2Yeah , I know it , I've spun through it . Yeah yeah , oh , yeah , I know that .
Speaker 1But it's a really interesting book that my brother-in-law recommended to me , called Cues , written by Vanessa Van Edwards . Oh , okay , who's done loads of stuff around human communication on a real tiny level , like every micro gesture and all that kind of stuff , and what she talks about is the truly charismatic people . So charisma is just that , that risk factor . So high risk is where you have high warmth and high competence . So the warmth cues give that sense of trust . So someone meeting , someone else going . Okay , I can see you're a bit of a talker , more so than me , but I trust you because those are the warmth cues that are that rapport building stuff . Nice , so disclosing a bit of personal info , asking some of that info , but not in an overly kind of a pushy kind of way . Balancing that then with the high competence cues and the cues that are then given are your facts , your data , your information , and what the other person is working out is well , not only can I trust you , but can I rely upon you . So that's how she then put this kind of high warmth , which creates trust , and high competence , which creates the sense of reliance .
Understanding Differences for Productive Collaboration
Speaker 1I think one might be quite useful , because I know this really has always blown my mind with the insights language , whether it's insights or one of these other ones , what are some of the differences that you've seen play out in terms of how people like to make their decisions ? Yes , so if introvert , extrovert is , how do you like to communicate and how do you like your energy ? Is it that loud out there or is that more sort of reflective and sort of reserved inside ? No , which has got nothing to do with confidence , because some of the shyest people I've met are just extroverts that babble , yeah . And some of the most calmly confident people are introverts that actually just like to hold their logic inside until they're able to , you know , until they choose to express it . So what might be some other interesting differences that could also present themselves , as well as that energy and that who likes to express versus listen ? What are some other things with regards to how people like to make decisions , for example , and what might that mean to be able to work well with opposite ?
Speaker 2That's such a good question actually , laura , and I think it's one one is understanding . It goes back to understanding the individual . What's their motivation , if you're like , what's their strengths , what's their preferences ? I would find out what their values are , because even though we all have values , there are some that are really wedded to them . We always say , once you cross the line around somebody's values , different people will react very differently . Some will hold a grudge for a very , very , very long time and therefore that trust I suppose , has gone . So therefore that doesn't help if you're then having to work with them again because you've got to work harder at building that trust .
Speaker 2So I think that ability to recognise what people need and also , as you were saying , Laura , the ability to understand that direct people , those that are very direct , may also be more thinking as well . So they might be extroverted , but thinking they will just want well , I want it now , and this is what it is where somebody who might want time to think may not question them in that moment . But that also can cause confusion , because if somebody isn't questioning , say , a high extrovert because they're off on one and they've run away with it and you're sitting there quietly taking it in or mulling it over and you don't actually open up your mouth and say leave that with me . I hear what you're saying . I'm not so sure that high energy person may think that that's an agreement . You're in agreement with me . So , as you can imagine , that will cause all sorts of problems because no one's speaking up and therefore for that high extrovert they're going to think , yeah , everyone's on my side , no one's questioned me , that's okay . So we need to understand how people make problem solve , how people can make decisions by asking talk me through how you've managed this in the past . You know , tell me how you handle problems so I understand it .
Speaker 2What do you need from me in that moment ? Do you prefer you know , loads of thoughts coming out or do you prefer one thing at a time ? So all of these , I suppose , exploratory questions can really help you move away from that , creating that opposite energy that clashes , and I think it takes a big , I think it does take actually a lot of understanding for people to recognize that's the way that person is and that's okay . And actually , how can I adapt and flex my style ? Because I know my myself well enough to get the best out of them . So I'm not going to just keep banging no , I need you to do it this way , this way , this way , this way . If that person's going , no , I need to work on it , I need to think about it . Then it's about how do I adapt my style ? To go , have a look , let me know what you think I'm the one that will change my approach or will change the deadline , because if I haven't been clear in the first place , then it's unfair of me to put all that pressure on somebody . So it's really that's just so fascinating , isn't it ?
Speaker 2I think , laura , when you are working with an opposite , just to , I have to adapt , change my language . The tone has to change . I have to read the room , as you said , as to what's going on , for that individual Doesn't mean I'm not going to be me , because there's an expectation that they would do the same as well . So it becomes this you know , yin and yang , it's works in harmony together . But if you're not sure and you haven't asked , then that's where you would start . You know who are you , what's important to you , what's not , what do you love doing about work , what don't you love doing ? You know , don't be afraid to explore those ups and downs with individuals , because they'll be different . Don't assume everybody wants to receive feedback in the same way . I mean , we've had that , haven't we , laura , before ?
Speaker 1Oh , absolutely yeah . And what I think is just sort of a practicality of this is you know , if you've got an hour call with someone , could it be that three minutes at the start , which is like you and I are new to each other . How do you like to work ? What do you want to get out of this ? Here's how I like to work , and then that three minutes could set you up for 57 really practical minutes where you're productive , definitely , rather than sort of dancing around and then it just all feeling a bit of a oh , you know , it wasn't a very productive call .
Speaker 1And of course , there'll be some working relationships where you might be decades working together , in which case it might take you a while to get into each other's rhythm . Or if you've got to work quick and it might be sort of a pop-up project , just that , how do we sort of embrace it ? What I just wanted to sort of get across is because I think certainly what might be on my mind is oh right , how do I work with this person , because they're opposite , almost like how do we cope with working ? I was just sort of musing as I was listening to you saying about ways of working . Actually , could there be some professional benefit from actively seeking to work with your opposite .
Speaker 1Oh yes , definitely .
Speaker 2So that would be great to get your thoughts on actually what's the win here ?
Speaker 1Because again just linking it to the whole AI thing when I first got all hot and excited
Finding Harmony Through Differences
Speaker 1about it . About the robots About the robots I remember reading about .
Speaker 1actually what they were discovering was a way to get some really higher level thinking . Whatever you describe as thinking from the algorithms is adversarial algorithms , so two competing algorithms put against each other in an adversarial , a competitive to then create some creative stuff . So that's literally where my tech knowledge runs out , deb , but I remember finding that interesting about . Well , if that's how the machines , in order to get higher quality , creative and inverted commas thinking , which is , you purposely pit two adversary , opposite algorithms to then get high quality thinking , if we were to retro transfer that back into us humans , it might be comfortable to work with people that have similar working preferences , but actually comfort might lead you into complacency and it might mean you reduce innovation . So , without kind of going over what we were talking about last week about kind of the positive outcome from conflict , but just be great to get your thoughts about actually what's the win of actively seeking to pair up with people that are opposite , what's that opportunity that potentially we could get ?
Speaker 2Oh my God , that is so cool . So I always , I think you have to . Because , one , you learn so much about yourself ? Because we're all one , I think , and we all have a mixture of different preferences , just some show it more than others . And if I'm working with an opposite and I'm going , okay , what am I learning about myself ? Because they're obviously triggering things that I would never even think of . As you said , if I was working with a similar person . I wouldn't even give it a second thought . But because suddenly there feels like there's this , oh , it makes me think and it makes me check in as to who I am and what I've done . And I think it's that ability to go okay , they just have a different viewpoint than me and actually I might learn something from them about how I can adapt to gain my approach to anything if I'm willing to .
Speaker 2And I think that's the beauty , because what you find , as you said , even if they put the robots crashing together , two humans will initially do the same thing , because there might be 101 things that are driving each person's behavior , each person's motivation , everything about their history might be coming into play , in that It'd be triggering all sorts of thoughts and feelings and vast experiences with them . But if you can work through that to find a mutually beneficial way that you're coming way from this side , I'm coming way from the other side , but we're all aiming in the same direction . There is already a common ground at the higher level . So if we are really clear on well , actually we're both here to solve the same thing or to overcome something that's the same . So if we were to put our heads together and share our strengths , our complementary strengths , our understanding of what we need to do , how we're going to work together , I tell you what things change . Things manifest themselves so much more quickly than if there's this ego that comes to play as well . So it is about okay , I'm going to learn something from you .
Speaker 2Hold myself because it's not about me in that moment and find out what I can learn from the other person , because it will probably be a bit of a mirror moment . Sometimes we found that people clash because they're very similar , but they don't see it . So when we're in team dynamics and you go , oh my God , they're the same person , but they're actually , they're next , you know , because they maybe don't like what they see , because it reminds them of who they are , but because , you know , try and hide it and on a real unconscious level , probably subconscious level , those behaviors they're seeing in the other person are probably a mirror of how they are . And then they don't like it . So , rather than embrace and go , wow , what's going on for me , what's making me behave this way ?
Speaker 2Ask of yourself first , not point the finger Well , that's because they are . And go , yeah , maybe I could be like that at times , especially if I'm passionate about a thing . So we're both coming at it from values . It's just a different perspective on it , on life , and I think we have to . We have to learn . That's the only way we learn how to create harmony and create the yin and the yang in order to be better people .
Speaker 1Dev's right . I'm giggling to myself because I'm just thinking about that mirror moment , right . So to all you extroverts out there you know if you're sitting there drooling waiting for your turn to talk , just wait .
Speaker 2Wait , wait , sit Like you would with a little dog right when you're trying to wait until you get the treat .
Speaker 1The big dribble of saliva coming down . When's it my turn to talk ? Just wait , and then with the cats out there so you know , actually is it time to jump down off the bed and actually go and interact , not just when you want feeding you know , so , having had both cats and dogs in my life and I think that's a fascinating point about a mirror moment we might find other people's behaviour distasteful because it is this little shady reminder of where we've seen that in ourselves .
Speaker 2Otherwise it wouldn't bother you . No , it wouldn't . That's so true law . It just wouldn't bother you . It's just people do it differently yeah and the we can embrace difference . I think , yeah , the world , you know , the whole place of work would be a more harmonious place of working because we just embrace that we're all different . Um , and it's not always about us , um , no , so , because cats will play with dogs when they want to play , right , and the dog loves it .
Speaker 1But yeah , yeah , just watch those claws when they've had enough .
Speaker 2That's it .
Speaker 1You know , read the room so this episode was looking at yin to the yang . So as our final in our four-part focus , looking at reducing workplace drama . And the reason why we thought that might be a cool way to kick off this year is in honour of the Chinese New Year , which is the year of the snake , which we're entering in . So we thought that might be quite cool , whether that is snakes and ladders dynamics , whether it's reducing negative team conflict , whether it's about just working with as least drama as possible , because we've got enough going on in our lives without our work life spilling over and impacting our wellness . So that was the overall pursuit with that . I know in a moment , debs , you'll give us a call to action , I will , I'll do a share the secret . But of course , what this means as the final in our four-part focus is we are going to have a new topic A new topic .
Speaker 2I can't wait . New topic , I know .
Speaker 1So next month is all going to be about taking time , and we've got four really powerful different topics we're going to focus on , yeah , and what is incredibly exciting is we've got some amazing guests lined up , so that always adds a bit of a different ingredient , different flavour , all in the pursuit of cheerleading everyone along on our work journey through what has been a transformational decade . We've got the first half underneath our belts . Watch out the roller coaster ride is still going strong .
Speaker 2It is .
Speaker 1And so how do we do that with wellness as the enabler ? So , debs , in true coaching fashion , if this focus has been looking at the yin to the yang , how to work well with our work opposites , what would your call to action be ?
Speaker 2Yeah , I've got a couple around . Effective questioning really , I think if you can be curious about that other person and approach it with a genuine interest to want to know , I would definitely think about that and not firing a million and one questions at people , but being mindful of you know how that person is responding to you . So , reading the room , as you said , but I think asking , really listening and asking some follow-up questions to show that you are listening and what you understand they've just said is so I think it's more around you and also willing to share your side . Not just one size comes into it . You've got to ask , but you've also got to share how you like to work . So you create that , I suppose , that mutually beneficial space where you've got a better understanding of the other . So mine is around , call to action is around . Yeah , think about the questions , those lovely what and how questions to find out more and then you can understand how you can work together to move something forward .
Speaker 1Oh , I love it . So that sort of willingness , love it my share . The secret would be I bet you've got a mate in your professional personal network who is banged on about someone that they find really tricky to work with . Get them to listen to this , because sometimes putting a label onto those emotions just means that you've just got a bit of a boundary and a bit of a buffer and it can be helpful and just again to bring a bit of light energy to it , because I bet that person isn't knowingly trying to wind you up .
Speaker 1No , because they've got other stuff going on in their lives . But sometimes we can unintentionally do that because we didn't realise you were a yang and I was a ying and actually play our cards . Right , we can ying and yang it together , yeah , and all in the pursuit of harmonious , productive work relationships . Yeah , so , debs , have a wonderful week you too , don't you worry , I'll resend you that email with 10 documents on .
Speaker 2Are you sure , Laura ? When do you want me to read it by ? Give me some time to digest .
Speaker 1And then I'll just put you on the spot in front of lots of other people and call you out on it . No , no , I'll just wig it oh . I've really enjoyed this first series . It's been really cool , hasn't it ? Yeah ?
Speaker 2We've had some really good comments about it , because I think this is happening in loads of workplaces everywhere and I'm supposed to bring it to to light and say you're not alone , first of all , and we've all been there , but by able to sort of learn from each other , we can navigate our way through some of the challenges that we do find in the drama . So , um , it's been so cool ?
Speaker 1yeah , absolutely , and , as always , the biggest challenges in our day to day now become the best case studies , interview replies , advice and wisdom you can pass on to others in the future so whatever is uncomfortable now , actually , at some point that could be a really useful skill or bit of advice to pass on
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Speaker 1to someone else . Yeah , nice one .
Speaker 2Oh my God , I look forward to this week . You have a good one too , laura .
Speaker 1Oh , you too darling , love you lots , bye . Bye . We hope you've enjoyed this podcast . We'd love to hear from you . Email us at contact , at secretsfromacoachcom , or follow us on Insta or Facebook . If you're a Spotify listener , give us a rating , as it's easier for people to find us , and if you want to know more , visit our website , wwwsecretsfromacoachcom and sign up for our newsletter here to cheer you on and help you thrive in the ever-changing world of work . You .