“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” Albert Einstein Sally and Joseph stormed into David’s office yelling at each other. “I can’t believe you are late with the report AGAIN!” Sally shouted. “It was due at 10! And this is the THIRD time! You don’t respect my deadlines!” Joseph raised his voice and retorted, “Would you rather have it on time or have it RIGHT? The data are not all in yet! These arbitrary deadlines are BOGUS! You’re on some kind of a power trip!” David, the manager, stood up. “Whoa, whoa, you two. Sit down. Let’s talk this through.” Conflict takes place in the workplace everyday. Overt and covert conflicts, differences, and unresolved issues underpin most interactions in busy environments where the stakes are high. Conflict management is a key skill for any leader. If you work with or for people, conflict is inevitable. You’ll have conflict with your boss, peers, and employees. You’ll be exposed to conflict between colleagues that effects you directly and indirectly. Ambitious team goals and business objectives lay the groundwork for conflict. If you hire and work with bright, assertive people (which you should!), perspectives will get in the way. How do you handle conflict? Are you good at it? Effective conflict resolution skills can effect the bottom line in your organization. Letting conflict go unresolved undermines your success. Finding the best solutions quickly will make your team more efficient, productive, and engaged. One model for understanding conflict resolution styles is provided in the Blake Mouton Grid. The five conflict resolution styles referred to in the model are: 1. Competing – I win, You lose 2. Accommodating – I lose, You win 3. Avoiding – I lose, You lose 4. Compromising – I win some, You win some 5. Collaborating – I win, You win In reality, there are no specific right and wrong answers to the situations we deal with on a daily basis. As leaders, we need to have a healthy amount of self-awareness and find the best approach for ourselves in each conflict that we find ourselves in. It is all about finding the best approach given the circumstances and the personalities involved. Getting insights and instruction through assessment and coaching helps many leaders become masters of conflict resolution. I especially enjoy working with leaders on conflict resolution because it is a skill that leaders can use and practice almost everyday, and improvements have significant impact on team results. As Albert Einstein said, difficulties give us opportunities. Through conflict resolution, an effective leader helps team members share information, build consensus, strengthen relationships, and get results. I encourage you to master skills of conflict resolution so that the next time you encounter conflict – whether it is as dramatic as Sally and Joseph’s or it is subtler – you will have confidence that you can handle the situation quickly and positively for a beneficial outcome.
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AuthorLisa Liszcz has over 20 years of experience developing leaders and teams in four different global organizations in a variety of industries. In 2014 she became an entrepreneur and is rocking her inner superhero and loving her life like mad. Archives
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