Tips for Leaders to Facilitate Conflict Resolution
by Rob Marchalonis.
Ever find yourself in the middle, between employees or associates who disagree or have conflict? Like good parents and counselors, leaders can play an important role in facilitating communication, promoting understanding, and strengthening relationships between others whom they lead or influence.
Do not be surprised if people tend to draw you into their issues. They probably value and respect your input. Sometimes just listening as a mentor or friend is all that is needed. Your challenge is to be supportive and helpful, without overstepping boundaries or adding to unproductive drama. If you feel compelled to engage, here is one way to proceed with a simple 5-step process:
- Gain Understanding. Avoid quick judgement. Ask questions to get more information. Listen carefully.
- What happened? Why does this concern you?
- How long has this been an issue? Who else is affected? What is the ideal outcome?
- What would you recommend? Who can help you with this? What do you plan to do next?
- Provide Perspective. What related conditions or circumstances are relevant, for you to add context?
- External – to what extent are economic, political, social, or other outside forces affecting the issue?
- Organizational – how can your purpose, vision, mission, values, or goals guide your response or correction?
- Personal – how are an individual’s background, experience, education, or other circumstances relevant?
- Honor the Absent. As a third-party, use care and discretion – especially when one participant is missing.
- Acknowledge the missing person, “With (person) not here to give their input or defend themself…”
- Facilitate awareness and sensitivity to the other side, “…why do you think they would behave this way?”
- Defend, where appropriate and with permission, “Can I take the other side, just for us to discuss?”
- Promote Self Awareness and Control. How are all parties behaving?
- Assess to what extent everyone is aware of their behaviors and impact on others.
- Encourage self-discipline and consideration of others. “Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.”
- Remind, “You may have little control of your circumstances, but much control of how you choose to respond.”
- Facilitate Communication. One great way to resolve conflict is with a discussion.
- Confirm what interactions happened in the past, how they went, and what was the outcome.
- Encourage the parties to connect on their own to resolve their issues. “Have you spoken with them about this?”
- Moderate a discussion between both sides, using the list above to help them identify a solution or next steps.
Be a Bridge Builder
You could be the one to facilitate understanding, communication, and better relationships between others who disagree. Consider it an opportunity, rather than a burden, to be stuck in the middle.
Rob Marchalonis helps organizations and leaders prosper and grow with simple Leadership, Strategy, and Process solutions. Learn more at www.LSP123.com or email Rob@LSP123.com ©2020
More Business Advice
Business owners, employers, and leaders can sharpen their skills with the content below.
Who is Flying Your Plane?
Do You Need Pilots or a Flight Instructor? by Rob Marchalonis. Business owners, are you flying with "experienced pilots"? Not in the air, but rather on the ground in your business. Are your top leaders, those who are "piloting" the key functions of your organization,...
Scale Up Talent
12 Talent Options for Business Leaders By Rob Marchalonis. Business leaders, what talent do you need to tackle your current challenge or project? Do you have the talent in-house? If not, what's your plan? If you are thinking about hiring a person full-time, hold on!...
Are Smartphones at Work Smart?
by Rob Marchalonis. When I work with business owners and leaders to improve employee productivity, the topic of smartphone use often comes up. What to do about these pocket-sized devices that were a non-issue just a decade or so ago? Used to be that only the...
12 Steps to Launch Your Leadership
A-Team Advice for “Young” Leaders by Rob Marchalonis. Are you a young leader? Regardless of your age, have you recently accepted a new leadership role? Perhaps you’ve done well in a job and were moved into a different position with more responsibility. Did someone...
Three Legs of Leadership
By Rob Marchalonis. As I work with top leaders, I find that their role is often different than what others may think. Which of the "three legs of leadership" are you experiencing right now? Perks From the outside, it may look like being the leader is quite glamorous...
What’s My Face Doing?
What you think, you communicate. Leaders, when you interact with others please realize that most of your communication is non-verbal. Regardless of what you say, be mindful of what you are communicating. What's really on your mind? When leaders say one thing but think...
C-Suite Time Management
Virtually every C-level executive that I work with suffers from a critical shortage of one precious resource - time! Nothing they can do will produce any more of it in a given week. The only solution is to manage the time they have available very deliberately and...
The Role of Leaders
Great leaders develop smart strategy, establish processes for they're workgroup, and then use their wisdom, experience, and authority to deal with exceptions.Read for More Business Advice Whether you're a C-level leader, entrepreneur or looking to sharpen your...
Congratulations to AL and LSP!
I'm admittedly not the biggest Alabama or even sports fan, but I'm continually amazed at the display of world-class LSP in televised football. Live, up close, HD, plus slow-motion replay and analysis. Leadership, Strategy, & Process in 1-2-3 order is a simple...
Who’s In Your Trusted Inner Circle?
"You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." Jim RohnRead for More Business Advice Whether you're a C-level leader, entrepreneur or looking to sharpen your leadership skills, the content below will help you level-up your business leadership....