IMPACTING LIVES ● DEVELOPING LEADERS
Presents:
Conflict Resolution For Leaders
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IMPACTING LIVES ● DEVELOPING LEADERS
Conflict Resolution for Leaders Training Participant Resource Guide
Revised ©February 2012 by LEGACY For more information on Legacy Organizational Development and Leadership Training, contact: Legacy Supply Chain Services Organizational Development 99 Bow Street Suite 300W Portsmouth, NH 03801 Phone: (603) 422-0777 Fax: (603) 422-7337
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IMPACTING LIVES ● DEVELOPING LEADERS Expectations The 5 A’s of LEGACY Training
Attend every session. If there are extenuating circumstances that will keep you from attending a session, it is your responsibility to seek out a team member and have them share with you the learning from the session you missed. Missing a session is not an excuse to not be able to learn and apply the materials that were covered.
Actively participate. Talk with the facilitator and with your teammates. Ask questions. Offer ideas from your experiences. Make suggestions on how to apply the material. This does not mean you have to talk in every session, but it does mean that you should show that you are actively engaged in some way (making eye contact with whomever is speaking, nodding your head to show you understand a point that was made, etc.). Please understand that your active participation in this process is vital, as you and the trainer are partners in this venture. The learning outcomes expressed on page 4 will not happen if you expect them to happen to you. You must make them happen. Attendance at sessions is not enough to make the desired outcomes become a reality – you must actively engage with the materials and with your teammates. You must be willing to think critically and creatively about the contents and how you can apply them, you must be willing to believe that a solid understanding in such materials will help you become an even better LEGACY team member than you already are, and you must actively work outside of sessions to apply the contents explored in each session.
Admit that you have a lot to learn. We all do. Learning should be a cycle that never ends. Each session, a different topic will be introduced in this training, and while you might be familiar with some topics more than others, no one person is an expert in all of them. The facilitator and your LEGACY teammates each come to the table with a great deal of experience that can shed new light on an old topic, so if you are paying attention, there will always be something new to learn or a new way to look at something you already know.
Assist your teammates. While this curriculum aims to help each of you as individuals, it also aims to help build the LEGACY team. Sharing this experience together can be very powerful if you strive to work together to support each other, challenge each other, and generally help each other in understanding and application of this material. And, you might make a few new friends while you’re at it!
Apply yourself and the material. You will only take away from this learning experience how much you are willing to give to it. So please – strive to apply yourself and make the most of the material and the overall experience. And, of course, as had been already mentioned, work to implement tangible actions based on what you learn in the sessions. If you apply yourself to the material and apply the material in your facility, you will be well on your way to creating a values-driven culture in your facility and on your team!
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IMPACTING LIVES ● DEVELOPING LEADERS Please take a moment to seriously consider what it will mean for you to be able to meet your own expectations and those of your teammates, as well as the 5 As.
WELCOME to LEGACY Conflict Resolution for Leaders Training! Through the exploration of the nature of conflict as well as conflict resolution, you will learn a about yourselves, your teammates, associates, and LEGACY as a company. Moreover, you will learn valuable practical philosophies and skills that you can apply after each session. These philosophies and skills will make you an even greater asset to your facility and to the LEGACY team than you already are. ____________________________________________________________________________________________
Course Objective: To provide leaders with an understanding of conflict in the workplace and how it can affect the environment and productivity. Expectations of a leader„s role in managing conflict will be defined, and skills in dealing with and preventing conflict will be presented.
_____________________________________ (4) One Hour Sessions 1. 2. 3. 4.
Know Conflict Understand your reaction to Conflict Lead Your team through Conflict Conflict Resolution moving Forward
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WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO GET STARTED: Printed copy of this manual Pen or pencil Extra paper (if you like to take a lot of notes!) Think it
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IMPACTING LIVES ● DEVELOPING LEADERS At LEGACY, LEADERSHIP is defined as the active, team-oriented process of thinking critically about (THINK it), believing in (MEAN it), and living (SHOW it) our LEGACY values, day-in and day-out, in a meaningful way that drives the creation of extraordinary, sustainable relationships and results. Leadership is about being an active part of establishing LEGACY’s Performance-Based Culture. This training program, while it is not specifically focused on the LEGACY Values, is being presented to you because it builds upon the foundation of the LEGACY Values and will assist you in creating a Performance-Based Culture in your facility/office and on your team. The LEGACY Training motto “THINK it. MEAN it. SHOW it.” which is a reflection of the fact that our aim with this training is to help us develop our overall leadership philosophies and skills through our exploration of contents related to LEGACY‟s Core Values. Each session in each of the training modules we will encounter throughout the duration of this training program will connect back to the theme of “THINK it. MEAN it. SHOW it.” by asking and exploring the answers to three key questions: 1 – WHAT? This section includes the content, the topic; will mainly consist of exploring pertinent information about the topic at hand. By asking and answering “WHAT?” about the topic, we will explore the “THINK it” component of our leadership development model. 2 – SO WHAT? This section will challenge the group to make sense together of what the content really means for the company, for our office, and for ourselves as individuals. By asking and answering “SO WHAT?” about the topic, we will explore the “MEAN it” component of the leadership development model. 3 – NOW WHAT? This will be a brief but important section, where we will be challenged as a team to create an initiative (it can be big or small, team-based or individual-based, etc.) to apply the contents and demonstrate our understanding of them. By asking and answering “NOW WHAT?” about the topic, we will examine the “SHOW it” component of our leadership development model. Considering any of these three questions in isolation of the others, while important, does not give a comprehensive view of the topic at hand. However, when we put all three of the components together – regardless of the topic – it presents the most holistic view of the topic and helps those studying the topic to exert their leadership potential in very positive and effective ways. Visually, this holistic approach looks like the diagram below.
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IMPACTING LIVES ● DEVELOPING LEADERS Session One
Know conflict when you see it
Each leader will know what conflict is and its effects in the workplace (THINK it). Each leader will recognize their role in conflict resolution and understand their options for leading through it (MEAN it). Each leader will be able to recognize conflict, apply strategies to minimize conflict and facilitate solutions to it (SHOW it).
What’s the Big Idea?
Know conflict when you see it
Conflict is defined as: -
a fight, battle, or struggle, especially a prolonged struggle controversy; quarrel discord of action, feeling, or effect; antagonism or opposition a striking together; collision incompatibility or interference; one idea, desire, event, or activity with another
What does conflict look like to you…in your world?
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IMPACTING LIVES ● DEVELOPING LEADERS Conflict Resolution True or False? Mark each statement as true or false. 1. _______ Conflict is always bad and unhealthy. 2. _______ Conflict doesn’t occur that often in the workplace. 3. _______ Conflict is always a matter of right vs. wrong. 4. _______ Conflicts are the result of clashing personalities. 5. _______ Conflict happens frequently in crisis situations. 6. _______ Most conflicts resolve themselves over time. 7. _______ People usually know when they’ve disturbed someone else. 8. _______ Conflicts only impact the disputing parties. 9. _______ Resolving employee conflict is management’s responsibility. 10. _______ Conflicts continue mostly because of stubbornness and a lack of caring
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IMPACTING LIVES ● DEVELOPING LEADERS Can you think of an example from your team where a conflict erupted and then after it was resolved…some good information or insight came from it? What were the results…what was the value to the team or facility or customer?
Now What: When people avoid conflict they miss the opportunity to debate, or gain more or new information. Look for an opportunity to recognize, accept, and leverage conflict next week. How will you train yourself to view conflict differently?
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IMPACTING LIVES ● DEVELOPING LEADERS Session Two
Conflict requires a response
Each leader will know what conflict is and its effects in the workplace (THINK it). Each leader will recognize their role in conflict resolution and understand their options for leading through it (MEAN it). Each leader will be able to recognize conflict, apply strategies to minimize conflict and facilitate solutions to it (SHOW it).
What’s the Big idea?
Conflict requires a response
What are your initial reactions to conflict? What is your reality? Please find the Conflict Assessment Questions hand-out. I would like for you to complete this questionnaire with your specific team in-mind. Take 10 minutes. If you can’t answer a question, please move-on to the next one.
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IMPACTING LIVES â—? DEVELOPING LEADERS Trust is critical in creating the right environment because it enables team members to risk being open and honest with each other. Trust enables people to challenge one another, debate issues, and say what needs to be said. To build trust, managers should focus on the following: be consistent with each person in words and actions; telling the truth; showing that they care about others; communicating authentically.
What would this look like to you?
NOW WHAT? This wee - practice building trust or building stronger trust by being more open, transparent, caring, authentic‌ . Your choice!
Conflict requires a response
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IMPACTING LIVES ● DEVELOPING LEADERS Session Three
Conflict Resolution is Leadership
Each leader will know what conflict is and its effects in the workplace (THINK it). Each leader will recognize their role in conflict resolution and understand their options for leading through it (MEAN it). Each leader will be able to recognize conflict, apply strategies to minimize conflict and facilitate solutions to it (SHOW it).
What’s the Big Idea?
Conflict Resolution is Leadership
Leaders’ Responsibilities: Create and actively manage your environment. Be aware of issues and dynamics on the floor Take initiative to make things better (work better). Set the example – model constructive conflict resolution behavior Think of a time when you have come across conflict at work - here or at another job. Jot down the situation. We’ll come back to them after we discuss the CALM Model.
The CALM Model Dealing with conflict directly: the CALM Model will help you remember the key steps to the effective conflict resolution. What do you think the other message is? Yes, to reinforce the notion that we can’t resolve conflict if we’re not calm ourselves.
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IMPACTING LIVES ● DEVELOPING LEADERS We’ll briefly walk through each of the steps: Clarify the issue Address the problem Listen to the other side Manage your way to resolution For Clarify – Think first, react later. Give yourself some time to analyze the situation Refer participants to the Conflict Clarification Questions hand-out, and determine if the issue is a mountain or a mole hill. Don’t let your conflict avoidance make you minimize the issue, especially if it happens again. For Address – meet personally with the other person, don’t use email. Use “I” statements and speak in behavioral terms. Talk about what you observed or experience, not hearsay. For Listen – try not to pre-judge the situation, restate, summarize, good non-verbal (body language and verbal cues) and really listen, not formulate your response. For Manage - once you understand the issue, you can move to these steps, and you want to do these in order. What if emotions run high? You may need to return to this. And don’t leave off the last one because it seems like a “nice to do.” Saying something like, I know we can work this out, or I know that we’ll be able to overcome these differences, or whatever is essential to your success.
Apply to above example – and debrief Now What Look for an opportunity to apply the CALM model (framework) to a conflict this week. Observe your reaction and the reaction of those involved.
Conflict Resolution is Leadership
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IMPACTING LIVES ● DEVELOPING LEADERS Session Four
Conflict can be Managed
Each leader will know what conflict is and its effects in the workplace (THINK it). Each leader will recognize their role in conflict resolution and understand their options for leading through it (MEAN it). Each leader will be able to recognize conflict, apply strategies to minimize conflict and facilitate solutions to it (SHOW it).
What’s the Big idea?
Conflict can be managed
Minimizing Future Conflict Clarifying Expectations - on a regular basis Set the Example – look for opportunities to model constructive conflict resolution Reinforce – Catch someone doing a good job Hold everyone Accountable – there’s nothing more discouraging than seeing expectations not applied consistently. Insist on Consistency - across the facility leadership team. Challenge Opportunity – _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ Despite your best efforts, there will be times when conflict erupts. For those times, here’s a review of your options: The “M” Strategies “Mentoring” for conflict resolution – teaching employees how to resolve conflict themselves “Mediating” – intervening to help employees resolve their differences “Mandating” – requiring uncooperative employees to respond appropriately
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IMPACTING LIVES ● DEVELOPING LEADERS
NOW WHAT…. Practice what you have learned…and then commit to teach it to others!!
Conflict can be managed
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IMPACTING LIVES ● DEVELOPING LEADERS Appendix 1
Conflict Assessment Questions How does your team handle conflict?
What topics are most likely to create conflict within your team?
Are your team conflicts mostly about tasks or relationships, or a combination of the two?
What does the team do best when it comes to addressing conflict?
What can the team improve on when handling conflicts? What do other departments, customers and vendors perceive about the team’s conflict competence? What two things you could do to improve the team’s overall conflict competence?
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IMPACTING LIVES ● DEVELOPING LEADERS Appendix 2
Conflict Clarification Questions Primary Questions
What am I upset about? In specific behavioral terms, what actually happened? Who else was involved? What did he/she do?
What exactly am I feeling (anger, frustration, fear, etc.?) Why am I feeling that way?
How might have I contributed to the problem?
Is there a chance that I am overreacting to the situation? Why?
In terms of actions and relationships, what are my desired outcomes for this situation? What will successful resolutions look and feel like?
If I were the other person involved in the conflict, how would I want to be approached and dealt with?
Secondary Questions
Where might the other person have been coming from? Might he/she be motivated by good intentions?
Has this happened before or is it a first time occurrence?
How is the situation affecting me and my work? Are others impacted? If so, how?
When dealing with this issue, what can I do to increase the chances that I’ll get the results I want? What counter-productive behaviors do I want to be sure to avoid?
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IMPACTING LIVES â—? DEVELOPING LEADERS Appendix3
The CALM Model Using the real-life situation, write what you will say for each of the discussion points. You will use this as to guide your conversation and have it to refer to if you get off-track.
Clarify the issue
Address the problem
Listen to the other side
Manage your way to resolution
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