By Dana Phillips

Since we started this webinar series on Secret Weapons to Eliminate Drama, I’ve been thinking about you and how you can eliminate drama from your direct sales team.  I was thinking about DRAMA QUEENS.

You know who I’m talking about.  Nod your head if you have someone on your team who always seems to stir things up; who always works to be the center of attention; who always upsets the positive energy as it starts going around.  This is your drama queen.  I wanted to review three guidelines to not letting her pull you off track.

You need to recognize drama for what it is.

Sometimes you are so busy you don’t step back and see what’s happening.  Sometimes you get so worried about “what are they going to think about me?” that you just don’t stop and see it as a performance.  Just because there is a performance doesn’t mean you have to attend.  We talked about this in our webinar, No Drama Mama.  You start to get that queasy feeling, and you need to recognize it for what it is: you are being pulled into a drama.  Don’t make it about you!  You are caught in the drama at that moment.  Think about the source.

Put on your coat of “Positive Intent.”

No matter what they are saying, you need to assume positive intent.  This will help you step back and say, “she wasn’t trying to be hurtful, she was just trying to take care of herself.” When you assume positive intent, you give her a chance to let it go (and you give yourself an opportunity to do the same thing).

Get and give space.  You will want to have some words to say when you get confronted by your drama queen.  Things that sound like:

  • Right now is not the best time to talk about this.
  • Let’s put this on hold for a day and then sit down privately.
  • Let’s hold this until the end of the meeting.

Word strategies like this allow you to give and get space so you can talk about the solutions and not just the emotions.

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Where Do You Find Your Leadership Strategies?

Being a leader is more than managing sales and recruiting. Being a leader tests your self-concept and relationship skills.  At Team Connections Pro, you can find resources to read and watch to support your leadership growth.  You also have two coaching calls every month you help you develop your personal strategies.

Psst:  every webinar and audio series is available at Team Connections Pro, including the Secret Weapons to Eliminate Drama.  For $47 a month you’ll find the resources you need.