Your Guide to Effective Conflict Resolution By Tami Bonnell
As leaders, our livelihood and the health of our business depend on how well we communicate, especially when it comes to conflict and crisis resolution. Strong leaders humanize and personalize every interaction. Engaging in conflict or crisis resolution isn’t about being right, it’s about mediating a successful outcome. If you’re intimidated or fearful about facing people in conflict, remember that it’s just a conversation, and fear is a feeling, not a fact. In most business circumstances, the sooner an issue is resolved, the better, because it can turn personal very quickly if left to fester.
“Having the right mindset is four times more important than your actions and can significantly impact every day and circumstance, not only those involving conflict resolution.” Part of grounding yourself as a leader is to develop the right mindset, and that doesn’t magically appear on the day of a crisis; it’s a work in progress. Establish and stick to a positive morning routine including elements of visualization, meditation and affirming so you can start every day in control of your thoughts and attitude. Having the right mindset is four times
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more important than your actions and can significantly impact every day and circumstance, not only those involving conflict resolution. When a conflict or crisis arises that requires your attention, one minute of preparation can save a hundred minutes of struggle. First, take 120 seconds to visualize a successful outcome. Then do your homework on the issue, but even more important, do your homework on the people involved.
“When a conflict or crisis arises that requires your attention, one minute of preparation can save a hundred minutes of struggle.” Here at EXIT Realty for example, all our Regional Owners and Broker/Owners complete a DISC personality profile assessment and I receive a copy. Many times, having advanced knowledge of whether someone has a predominantly dominant, inspiring, supportive or cautious personality type has helped me to understand how they handle conflict and I can take care to speak their “language” to engage with them in relatable way. Normally in a crisis there’s a fight or flight window of approximately six hours when people tend to catastrophize. As early as possible, set a time the next day for everyone to talk and
