I was recently part of one of our learning sessions on Communication, specifically how to clear issues and resolve conflict. This course, Issue Clear & Conflict Resolution, is part of our Power Skills curriculum developed over the years to give exposure to communication skills and practical application for our team members.
We have always been strong believers in communication styles and emotional intelligence training for team members to improve their understanding and skill sets in listening, empathy, problem solving, adapting to other styles, and how to get to win/win as we clear issues to reduce resentment and resolve conflicts in a way that builds relationships, not breaks them down.
With AI here and being integrated into workflows and potentially doing a lot of deep work faster than humans, Power Skills become more valuable in the market. We know building trustful relationships, being a genuine influencer, collaboration skills, and abilities to effectively solve problems and manage conflicts along with those who augment their roles with AI will be the winners in the next generation of “Power Professionals.”
To give you a small sample of our training, view our one page exhibit showing our Conflict Resolution Process. Conflicts can be client concerns, peer to peer friction, issues between a team member and manager, or vendor hurdles. The first step in the process begins with RESPECT and EMPHATHY. Empathy is a power skill and, in my opinion, absolutely necessary to begin the process.
A former leader of ours, who is now retired, lived by the principle of “don’t fire back” when a “trigger” comes your way. We still teach this today, with the idea being, take a breath, pause, listen, show empathy, and get on to solving the issue in a win/win way. I believe all organizations and teams have conflict. It isn’t about having zero conflict and for sure it’s not about avoiding it, it is how effectively you respond and manage it to turn lemons into lemonade. When one can walk out of a conflict and build trust (doesn’t have to be perfect yet you built some trust), you have an effective result. Imagine if we all did this well day to day in our lives and our leaders emulated this for us? The world would be a different place, and it starts in your home, the workplace, and in your teams and community. If we get good at this, what a nice contribution to all those you touch, and it will rub off on the next person who does it well and life becomes more joyful while advancing in win/win ways.
Be Sure
Joe