Summary: I don’t think it would be much of a stretch to assume that, at some point in our careers we have all been party to, or impacted by, conflict-laden situations: individuals not getting along, someone not pulling their weight, colleagues not showing up on time or at all, poor behaviour, rules not followed, as only some examples. All too often, these situations get tolerated, ignored, excused, and otherwise not dealt with. I have been in situations that allowed me to address such issues, in others where I have been stymied in doing so. I have also been the avoider and the leader who didn’t act in a timely manner. I know that NOT dealing with situations that create conflict is NOT a good thing. I also know that dealing with conflict is one of the toughest responsibilities that individuals who oversee people face. We don’t teach these skills well. Many of us don’t learn effective conflict resolution in our formative years. This spills over into our work environments. The outcome is not good. Gary Harper in his excellent book The Joy of Conflict Resolution: Transforming Victims, Villains and Heroes in the Workplace and at Home encourages a different approach. I was lucky enough to learn from Gary. He reminds us that “every conflict provides the opportunity for learning, growth and enhanced relationships”. Yes - the opportunity. I just re-read The Joy of Conflict Resolution. I would like to take today’s podcast to share some of Gary’s insights – because I know they work.
