Drew came to me frustrated by his staff's negative behavior. Through coaching, he realized the importance of giving his employees one-on-one feedback. He learned how to manage his anxiety when dealing with conflict. He roleplayed feedback techniques until they felt comfortable and natural. Drew developed a plan for creating opportunities throughout the year to offer both positive and negative feedback to his staff.

Eleanor did not get along with her co-worker Jane, whose old job she had just taken over. Eleanor needed to build relationships with the clients she had acquired, but Jane was still fielding their calls and not passing them onto Eleanor. Both women were also competing for approval from a difficult boss. I challenged Eleanor to look at the situation from Jane's point of view. We practiced active listening skills and focused on being empathetic. At our next meeting, Eleanor reported that she and Jane had had a heart-to-heart and realized they had much more in common than they thought. Jane began encouraging clients to call Eleanor directly. They continued to talk openly and supported each other in getting what they needed from their boss.