Some Thoughts to Consider
I’m buried in some projects that I hope to be announcing in the next few weeks. These projects are keeping nearly all of my writing time occupied. I’ll have more information to share soon. In the meantime, here’s a great post by Tammy Lenski you might enjoy: In workplace conflict, don’t mistake your experience for reality Read Full Story
Conflict Can Be Good
While this blog is primarily about exploring thoughts, tips, techniques, and approaches for resolving conflict in teams, I thought it might be important to acknowledge that conflict can actually be a good thing in some situations. Good conflicts are the natural result of people working together towards a common cause. Well-intentioned, hard-working people can have honest [...] Read Full Story
Acknowledge Emotions Before Solving Problems
Recently, I was working through an issue with another person. They were distressed over the results of a process that affects both of us. I helped to create the process. I have authority to change the process if necessary. And I have knowledge of the system to troubleshoot and fix a fair number of problems. As [...] Read Full Story
Patience Really Is a Virtue
This week, I’ve been wrestling with various server and domain pointing issues related to this site. After nearly five days of working to get things settled, I think I’m almost there. I don’t think this blog or my business site ever went totally offline. (Although I did lose my email for about 3 or 4 [...] Read Full Story
The Power of Thank-you
This morning I have been catching up on reading some of my favorite blogs. As always, I saw really thought provoking content by Tammy Lenski, Victoria Pynchon, Kevin Eikenberry, and Kare Anderson. The post that struck me the most was Common Courtesty Should Not Be An Oxymoron by Diane Levin. I’m not sure why it struck me [...] Read Full Story
Stop Long Enough to Really Understand
Recently, I participated in a meeting for an organization where I serve as one of the leaders. During the meeting, one person made a statement of opinion. Then another member countered with their opinion. Pretty soon, the two of them were engaged in a heated discussion. Both of them were arguing there positions relative to [...] Read Full Story
Why I Don’t Want to Be a Tolerant Person
Last week, I attended Shadow Day at my daughter’s school. On Shadow Day, parents attend classes with their children. As I sat in her American Literature class listening to a discussion of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic The Scarlet Letter, her teacher questioned the virtue of tolerance. In his brief comment on the topic, he referenced a talk [...] Read Full Story
Elementary School Conflict Resolution: What Adults Can Learn From Kids
I found this video today as I was looking around the web for new ideas and learning resources. At the moment, I don’t have much to say to add to this teacher’s comments. I was really intrigued by her comment that young children are often better at finding creative solutions to conflicts than adults. This is [...] Read Full Story
Road Rage, Interpretations, and Workplace Conflict
As I returned home from taking my daughter to school last Friday, a gentleman in a van pulled out in front of me and forced me slam on the brakes to avoid hitting him. When we passed each other, he looked at me sheepishly and waved. Clearly, he did not see my car. I’m guessing that [...] Read Full Story
How Does The Nature Of Your Relationship Affect Conflict Resolution?
This post is more of a question than a statement. I’m looking for input and feedback on this question: How does the nature of your relationship with another person affect the way you handle/view/approach resolving a conflict with them? Like many things in life, I have an opinion on this topic. I would just like to hear [...] Read Full Story