Brian was hired 6 months ago as a new manager of a small team of 7 staff in a branch of a country-wide service organisation. He’s committed and enthusiastic and has big plans to improve service delivery and productivity. Alice has worked there for 15 years and Brian is finding her less amenable to taking …
How To Have Effective Accountability Conversations Read More »
An HR Manager contacted me about an issue between an employee and her manager. The employee had approached her saying she was feeling disrespected and undermined by him. The HR Manager had a brief discussion about the situation with the Manager also to hear his point of view and then thought it would be best …
Informal Mediation Preparation – Pre-Mediation Coaching Read More »
Think of a situation where you are finding it difficult to deal with or manage someone in your workplace or team. What sort of thoughts and feelings come up? Many of you might have thoughts such as: ‘What am I going to do with this (awkward/difficult/tricky) person?’… ‘Why are they such a jerk?’… ‘Why was …
Difficult Relationships: From Negative To Positive Mindset Read More »
Here’s a question: what key skill will improve the outcomes of all types of negotiation whether you are buying a car or trying to sort a contentious issue at work? You might think it’s getting all your arguments clear and well-rehearsed and then sticking hard by them. Yes, it’s good to be clear on your …
How To Improve Perspective-Taking In Negotiations Or Difficult Conversations Read More »
One of the most useful models with which to view and work with any kind of negotiation or potential conflict situation is the ‘Positions-Interests/Needs’ Iceberg. Being able to facilitate people instead to identify and articulate what their underlying needs and interests is an essential tool in a conflict resolving toolkit. Positions vs. Interests – An …
When I ask people in training courses and workshops to cite some images or associations they have with the concept of ‘conflict’, I usually get a whole list of negatives (angry, war, hate, stress…) and very few positives. ‘I don’t like conflict’ is a common refrain, so I do my best to avoid it’. Yet …
How Conflict Competent Are Staff In Your Organisation? Read More »
He has broken my trust in him – how can I ever trust him again?” Parties in a conflict regularly make statements to this effect often in a tone of pessimistic finality, which for someone trying to manage or resolve the situation can be quite a challenge. That’s because firstly, the word ‘trust’ itself is …
Rebuilding Damaged Trust In Workplace Relationships Read More »
As this week of mourning for Nelson Mandela draws to a close and he is being laid to rest tomorrow, here are a a few vignettes from his life. These capture some examples of his greatness, particularly in the areas of leadership, forgiveness and reconciliation. Archbishop Desmond Tutu when asked by author John Carlin for …
Leadership, Forgiveness And Reconciliation Lessons From Nelson Mandela Read More »
In recent times there is increased emphasis on resolving workplace conflict, relationship difficulties, bullying and/or harassment, at an early stage and with the person directly themselves. All well and good you might think but that can be a lot harder than it sounds. This challenge is in no way helped either by the language found …
‘All those ideas around conflict resolution are really great, Mary, but what about ‘difficult behaviour’ – someone who just won’t sit down and talk things through in a reasonable way… how are you supposed to deal with them?’ This was the comment of a client in a recent team conflict case. She described herself as …
Managing ‘Difficult’ Behaviour – Are You Walking On Eggshells? Read More »
