Welcome to ​Arise Leadership​: Where women learn actionable ways to have a voice at the table and get promoted faster.

Hi Reader,
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In moments of stress, emotions and uncertainty, like in today’s world, we can quickly jump to conclusions or assume bad intentions.

It happens often in written communication since tone gets lost and in remote settings where body language is hard to read.

This results in frustration, poor discussion, and lost collaboration opportunities.

We've all been there.

• A question during a meeting triggers us to respond with pushback or simply agree with them to avoid conflict.
• An idea we share with our team is responded to with a lot of frustration.
• A delayed update creates friction between teammates.
• Feedback after a meeting feels like an attack because you're intimidated by then.
• Misalignment in goals seems like the other person doesn't care about your time.

I always advise Arisers to assume the best intentions.
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You can do this by asking open-ended and non-judgmental questions.
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For example, asking, "I’m curious to know how you’re thinking about it. Can you please share more?" will lead to a more constructive and collaborative discussion than saying, "I don’t understand what you’re thinking."

Here are additional questions you can ask when collaborating with your team, esp during a difficult time:

1. "Can you tell me more about your thought process?
2. "Thanks for your input. How do you envision this helps us achieve our goals?"
3. "I hear you. It would be helpful if I could understand how you want to navigate this together?"
4. "I like this direction you’re taking. I have some ideas on how we could take it even a step further, mind if I share them?"

When prioritize creating space for communication, we create a win-win situation for all.

In our cohort group discussion last week, an Ariser shared how she received immense pushback when she was on a call with her team to deliver some bad news.
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Despite preparing for the meeting, the emotions in the room got to her.
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She asked a curious question: How to collaborate when people unexpectedly react emotionally?
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​Arisers jumped in with answers. Here are some ideas that were shared:

• Without being judgemental, acknowledge how people feel, instead of dismissing them.
• Book 1:1s with people after the meeting to dig deeper into their emotions and understand their context better.
• Sometimes, a pause is more helpful in building understanding than trying to tick off an agenda.

Use these tips to strengthen your relationship with your teammates or seamlessly collaborate in tough situations. Have you ever been in a similar situation, how did you steer ahead?
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Write back to me and let me know.

See you next Thursday! 🙋‍♀️
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Cheers,
Shivani

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