This week in The New York Times, David Brooks writes about tips for creating a kinder workplace. There are some fantastic ideas in here, including:
The all-purpose question. “Tell me about the challenges you are facing?” Use it when there seems to be nothing else to say.
Never threaten autonomy. People like to feel that their options are open. If you give them an order — “Calm down” or “Be reasonable” — all that they will hear is that you’re threatening their freedom of maneuver, and they will shut down. Nobody ever grew up because an angry spouse screamed, “Grow up!”
Presume the good. Any disagreement will go better if you assume the other person has good intentions and if you demonstrate how much you over all admire him or her. Fake this, in all but extreme cases.