Conflict resolution is something all leaders must deal with at one time or another. Conflict is inevitable. People are bound to disagree, take things the wrong way, and/ or develop feelings about others. When a conflict arises in a team situation it puts a strain on everyone on the team regardless of whether or not they are involved in the conflict.
Dealing with conflicts can be a very difficult and uncomfortable process for everyone involved. Many people will choose to ignore the issue because they don’t want to deal with it. However, conflict resolution is absolutely necessary in a team atmosphere. Over time if the conflict is not resolved it will divide the team which makes striving towards a common goal that much harder.
The hardest aspect of conflict resolution is communication. Each person involved in the conflict must find a way to express their side of the issue WITHOUT pointing the finger or placing blame. When someone is getting yelled at or blamed for something they automatically shut down and stop listening. This immediately ends the communication process and prevents the conflict from being resolved.
It is best to concentrate on yourself and your feelings when attempting to express your side of a conflict.
Communication activity:
- Take a moment to think of a conflict you are involved in.
- Make a list of all the things that you feel upset about.
- Begin writing a letter that includes each of the list items. It is okay if this letter is not so nice, the important thing is to just get your feelings out.
- Now take the letter you wrote and begin revising it. Change the “you act” or “you are” parts of the sentences to “I feel” or “I am”..
- Once you finish revising your letter please send it to: leadershipcoaching@yahoogroups.com
This article was written as for an interactive leadership training group. If you are interesting in participating in this interactive leadership training group please visit: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/leadershipcoaching/ to join our group.
