Conflit Resolution

We all know that our sympathetic nervous system can be triggered if we face a physical threat or danger. Someone shouts at us, we almost get into an accident, we are attacked physically and we go into fight, flight or freeze. This causes our brain to trigger our sympathetic nervous system, release adrenaline and send blood to the major muscle groups and away from the executive functioning part of the brain. Hence, we can run away from the threat. Psychological …

You’ve acknowledged to yourself that you recoil from giving critical feedback to employees. Whether this stems from a desire to avoid workplace conflict, a lack of confidence in your communication style or concerns over doubting your opinion post-feedback, you would like to improve for your own sake, and for the sake of your employees. After all, they are relying on you as their manager to guide their work performance in order to succeed at their career goals. How to proceed?

When I have asked managers why they hesitate to give constructive feedback to their employees, I hear things like: I’m worried she’ll get upset I’m afraid to hurt our relationship I don’t think he can take it and will argue I don’t want to start a conflict What do all of these excuses have in common? Fear. We fear the other’s reaction. Notice how in each of these explanations, the burden is put on the other person. “She’ll …

Giving and receiving effective feedback may mean giving up “Northwest Nice” to be present and authentic I’m one of those people who can be a little smug about how awesome it is to live in the Northwest. We have gorgeous mountains, rivers, lakes, coastline, forests and great food. We place a premium on good relationships, which gives us strong communities. But just like everything has an upside, everything has a downside, too. Our preference for positive relationships can some