Tool: Resolving Conflict With a Colleague

Instructions: Once you are finished thinking through the following questions, initiate a dialogue with a colleague who you disagree with. Use your answers to these questions to guide a solutions-focused conversation with the colleague.

Questions

What do you admire the most about the colleague who you are having a conflict with? What strengths does the colleague bring to your learning team? To the classroom?

Resolving a conflict starts by reminding ourselves that our peers are worthy of our respect, not opponents who we need to defeat.

Your Response

Describe the issue that is causing conflict between you and your colleague.

It is impossible to resolve disagreements until you can accurately explain your own point of view to the colleague who you disagree with.

Based on your recent interactions, how do you think your colleague would describe the issue that is causing conflict between you?

It is also impossible to resolve disagreements until you fully understand the point of view of the colleague who you disagree with.

What areas of overlap do you think exist between your position and the position of your colleague?

Solving conflicts depends on finding areas where you agree with your colleagues, not on pointing out all the places where you disagree with one another.

What compromise could you and your colleague make that would respect both of your positions?

The health of your professional relationship depends on finding a way to move forward together by determining a next step that you are both willing to take.