How to Overcome and Manage Conflict in Today's Business

I began my career at PT. Telkom Indonesia in 1996 as an engineer. Since 2003 Telkom have assigned me to become leader, starting from Section Head, Assistant Manager, Manager, General Manager and now as Vice President at Metranet. I have gained a lot of experience, especially the experience of how to lead a team. One of the problem that always happen is a conflict in the workplace.

According to Sylvia Lafair, PhD, Co-founder and President of Creative Energy Options (CEOinc) that what the world needs now are leaders who have mastered the art and craft of communication and conflict resolution.

Sylvia Lafair, PhD is known for her ground breaking leadership education methods. She began her career in psychology to explore why people do what they do in personal relationships. Seeing the connection between how families behave and how work teams operate, she developed corporate team building activities to stop office politics and enhance team communication and collaboration. Dr. Lafair’s programs have been utilised internationally and her unique “Pattern Aware™” concepts have proven effective world-wide.

She stated that knowledge of human relationships no longer belongs only to the psychology crowd. It belongs to all of us. Every leader or emerging leader in today’s workplace needs to look below the surface and answer the age old question when someone shoots himself in the foot “Why did he just do what he did?” We need to know why she just put her foot in her mouth. Why they have “egg” on their faces.

If you are ever to deal with office politics (and that takes place whether you are in a traditional corporation, an entrepreneurial start-up, a family firm, or a non-profit association) you better get a handle on what makes people tick.

Conflict in Today's Business

FIRST, look inside. That’s right. Look at what flips your lid, what sets your blood boiling, what makes you madder than hell. Once you can begin to name the people and situations that get you hopping mad you can decide what to do about them.

NEXT, pay attention to those around you. How do they respond when someone sets their teeth on edge, when they feel torn to shreds, when they feel like a knife was shoved in their back? Once you have learned to look at the interactions that occur in all human relationships and figured out how to decode the mixed messages that are always at the heart of office politics you become the real leader you have always wanted to be.

Her insights are universal and relevant no matter what business you are in. Office drama and politics, human resource issues, absenteeism, and litigation increase when stress is high in companies. This is where Dr. Lafair’s conflict resolution training become vitally important.

From her "Five Leadership Development Lessons" eBook, She said that we all grow up with some “NOTS” that become “KNOTS” in the way we communicate. All of us, at one time or another, think we are “not good enough,” “not strong enough,” and that others are “not like me.” These thoughts tie us up and make us tongue-tied. We second guess ourselves.

Master the following lessons for work relationships and take them home. They work equally well in every setting, work, home, community. Once you learn to follow these ground rules you win and everyone around you will win also.

• Ground Rule #1: Telling the truth is NOT spilling your guts
• Ground Rule #2: Work is NOT a rehab facility
• Ground Rule #3: Dialogue is NOT just emotion and repetition 
• Ground Rule #4: Outcomes are best if you stay open NOT attached
• Ground Rule #5: You win when you see everything as connected NOT separate

In the conflict resolution training, you can learn how to overcome and manage conflict in today's business. You can try to fill Conflict Resolution Profile Quiz from CEOinc's website. This conflict resolution profile quiz let’s you see where you are at when conflict comes your way (and it will). See how you have developed over time with handling conflict. Let CEOinc help you find the fastest, smartest ways to calm situations and get past blame to productivity. Observing patterns begins with you and becomes relational.