Benefiting at work from Brain Based Insights

When you’re on a hot seat your first reaction is likely to try and get out from under sweltering heat as soon as possible.

The first secret of success though … is to make sure you control your responses to a hot seat in ways that will further your career – and not fan the fire.

Believe it or not – a crisis can offer an amazing opportunity to grow your communication skills … and at the same time show your supervisor you have the serotonin it takes for your next successful step up in the firm. How so?

You can control responses by looking closer at both sides of the issue, and reminding yourself there are likely valuable points to be learned from each side. Communication masters tend look at both sides without committing initially to either one. 

Not surprisingly – a mediator’s view back and forth allows you to stay truer to who you are – without articulating strong opinions at first – and you are likely to bring a mediator's body language to issues more than one that sparks unnecessary fires.

Stall for time while at the same time sticking to the truth….

1. It’s too early for me to make any statement about that until I look at the details more….
2. After I hear a bit more about both sides … I’d be glad to comment ….
3. To avoid problems or litigation I’d like to hear more before I comment – so I’ll get back to you ….
4. Since that is hearsay – and I don’t deal in speculations – I’d rather wait to see more of the issues.
5. We’ve already started to get to the bottom of this and I am not free to discuss it further without prior consent from the others involved  …

Each of the stall statements allows you more time for reflection, and each helps you to remain truthful – without sizzling on a hot seat. Others will watch from the sidelines – because it’s often how you react in crisis that leads to the next promotion at work. Of course, that also means that you’ll be teaching these brain based tactics to others when they encounter their own hot seats.

On that note … brain based benefits are far more when they come as proactive tactics – ahead of crisis – than when they are thrown like buckets of water at a raging fire.

What do you think?