3 ways to get a handle on office conflicts

You may be silencing the members of your team inadvertently by insisting on your preferred form of communication, writes leadership development facilitator and author Elaine Lin Hering, who suggests reducing that barrier and recognizing that if you want others to speak up, you must create a culture where it's rewarded. "The more we see people using their voices, talking about things that really matter, the more voice becomes the norm," Hering notes.

Put it into practice: Before you speak up in your organization, ask yourself why it's important to you, explain your view clearly and if you encounter resistance, see it as a chance "to understand their concerns and how you might secure a yes," Hering advises. "Instead of assuming that others see things your way, spell out your observations and interpretations, then ask them how they might see it differently."

Eliminating distractions. While the majority of you report not having to deal with rumors and misinformation at work, a significant portion of you (41%) deal with it frequently.

These discussions can fester if left unchecked and you can enable a culture where these issues run rampant. As a leader, step up and shut down rumors, gossip and misinformation. When you hear about it, confront it.

Let your team know the workplace is no place for unsubstantiated discussions that can harm reputations and ruin relationships. Direct their energy toward more productive pursuits like building better relationships with colleagues, team members, partners and customers. While it's uncomfortable to confront such behavior, failure to do so will create the culture you deserve.

-- Mike Figliuolo is managing director of thoughtLEADERS, which includes TITAN -- the firm's e-learning platform. Previously, he worked at McKinsey & Co., Capital One and Scotts Miracle-Gro. He is a West Point graduate and author of three leadership books: "One Piece of Paper," "Lead Inside the Box" and "The Elegant Pitch."

After 30 years at Unilever and two years into her role as CEO at Chanel, Leena Nair says she's committed to equity by increasing the presence of women in the C-suite but says she's still careful to pay attention to all voices in the room. "I have always believed in the collective voice, collective intelligence, diverse perspectives," Nair says.

Australian sculptor David Cox created his first phoenix made from old piano keys and other parts for a friend's recording studio; he's now made more than 50 for people who want to turn old pianos into art. "Each one is very different to the previous, with each customer sharing different stories they remember of Nanna teaching them to play, or fun family times shared around the piano," says Cox.

Wait, what is this on my face? Oh, it's egg.

So, yesterday, I wrote up what turned out to be a totally bogus recap of what I thought happened in the women's college basketball tournament over the weekend. Apparently, my source was old. Iowa had not been defeated by LSU but was playing them Monday night. Thus revealing my total ignorance of women's college basketball.

I heard from a good many of you about my mistake, and you were all gracious enough to forgive me ... and to think the whole thing was an April Fool's joke.

Sadly, I am not clever enough to come up with that kind of prank, and really, it wouldn't be very funny (especially if you're an Iowa fan). Anyway, it turns out I'm the April Fool!

Meanwhile, the Iowa Hawkeyes, led by Caitlin Clark's 41 points, beat the LSU Tigers 94-87 last night to send them into the Final Four.

If this newsletter helps you, please tell your colleagues, friends or anyone who can benefit. Forward them this email, or send this link.

What topics do you see in your daily work that I should know about? Do you have praise? Criticism? Drop me a note. And don't forget to send me photos of your pets, your office and where you spend your time off.