Velvet Hammer

I had a situation come up this past week on my team that could have been potentially ugly. We had a big meeting planned and one person didn't show up, or even bother to call and excuse themselves. I sat through about the first 5 minutes of the meeting and was a little irked, but then I had a light bulb moment. I thought: I will take VERY detailed notes for him and then email the notes and a short "I appreciate you" note after the meeting. I proceeded to take notes, being sure to jot down everything that might be important to my fellow team member. Then, when I got home I typed my notes into a quick email with a short "I appreciate you" note attached to the top and sent it out. I had a very nice email the next morning where he expressed gratitude for me thinking about him, and he informed me that he had hurt his foot and had to go the hospital which caused him to miss the meeting. Here's what I took away from this experience:

1 - The situation HAD to be dealt with. -- being passive isn't an option in leadership.
2 - I could have just simply sent an email and asked "where were you?" and I would've gotten an answer back...but I would have missed an opportunity to add value to one of my teammates.
3 - Don't jump the gun. -- I was frustrated for nothing. if I had popped off and vented that frustration I would've risked losing alot of influence with him and others.

So when the next problem arises on your team, stop and ask yourself "how can I handle this AND gain influence with my team?" There is always a way!