Working with blocks

Negotiating with negative elements

Description

Working with blocks involves identifying, addressing, and overcoming obstacles that hinder progress toward objectives. This strategy focuses on practical actions such as analyzing the nature of the block, mobilizing resources, and implementing targeted interventions to remove or bypass barriers. Its core intent is to restore momentum, facilitate problem-solving, and enable effective advancement by transforming impediments into manageable challenges, thereby ensuring continued progress and the achievement of desired outcomes.

Claim

Managers sometimes fail because they spend too little time supporting the "encouragers" (or positive staff) and too little time negotiating with the "stoppers" (those with very fixed or negative views). Everybody is an artist, everybody is creative. Build on the strengths of "negative" people, ask how they want to contribute towards achieving the corporate vision and set specific goals. They must take responsibility and fulfil these agreed contracts, or must be helped to move on.