Whether it’s working remotely or struggling to home-school your children, you may find that since COVID-19 began, you’re getting into more arguments and conflict situations with those around you. When faced with a conflict or potential conflict situation, everyone has a specific “go to” or primary conflict style that they’re likely to use to get […]
We’ve all come across people who seem to love conflict. They seek it out, jump into it even if it has nothing to do with them, and start it for no reason at all. However, the vast majority of people would prefer not to deal with conflict at all and will do just about anything to […]
Most of the conflict I have experienced in my life, both firsthand and secondhand, has not been the result of factual disagreement, but of differing perceptions. Every day we interact with others, “notice” their behavior, and then proceed to draw conclusions about what it is, what it means, etc. Our interpretations, and thus our final perceptions, […]
One of the things I’ve noticed about the organizations I’ve served in more than 20 years in business, is that the organization’s “conflict culture” is almost always a direct reflection of the dominant conflict style of the organization’s leader. If the conflict style is weak or negative, it becomes a cancer in the organization, destroying […]
Many people don’t realize that a simple, “seemingly” innocent comment, when said to an angry customer can turn a concern or complaint into a full-blown argument. When it comes to the words you choose, they can either be water or gasoline on the customer’s smoldering emotions. If you’d like to be a customer service fire […]
This week, I’m combining my regular “Monday Motivation for Performance Communicators,” with my blog because with Thanksgiving just a few days away, we’re officially starting the holiday season- including the stress of family gatherings. Family holiday gatherings should be a time to reconnect, enjoy great food and drinks, and most of all, to celebrate the “reason for the […]
This week’s blog post is a guest post about conflict resolution by Rob Pennington, Ph.D. Dr. Rob is an educational psychologist who specializes in helping executives improve team performance through a balance of authority and collaboration. He is also an organizational consulting, executive coach, speaker, and award-winning author. The insights and wisdom he shares represent a […]
Think about the last time you tried to get a refund at a store, get an extension on a deadline, or even asked a child why he didn’t complete his chores? It’s unlikely that the response was something you wanted to hear. As such, we go into such discussions defensively as if we know conflict […]
I was with a group of healthcare leaders when one person posed the question, “How do you manage conflict?” Many of the responses I heard surprised me. There was a lot of advice to “wait and see what happens,” “let it go,” and “rise above.” The advice given seemed to directly contradict what healthcare leaders would […]
The holiday season is upon us and even though it’s relatively early, you might already be feeling stressed out, worried, and wishing it was over already. Don’t let this year be another year where you feel you have to just “survive” the holidays. The words holiday and stress do not have to go hand-in-hand! Here are […]
