conflict management and the business of law
I’ve shared before that, as part of my training and development business, I teach conflict management skills to lawyers and business leaders. In prior posts, I’ve discussed the importance of understanding our own perspective on conflict. I've also commented on the high costs of everyday conflicts. Given reports of rising incivility in the workplace, it’s vital for lawyers to learn how to handle conflicts they regularly encounter – whether they’re engaged in them as participants or neutral managers. In this conflict management primer, business consultant and coach Jerry Straks offers up “six principles” for de-stressing conflicts and transforming them into opportunities. Among other key points, Straks emphasizes the need to listen in a way that’s “respectful, caring, curious, accepting, open, and responsible.” He also reminds us that conflicts “are only rarely about what they appear to be about. To the extent you can listen yourself all the way down to the roots of the conflict, you improve your chances of reducing conflict stress.” A nice addendum to Straks’s input is this piece on peer conflict coaching from lawyer Michael W. Rawlings. It shows the value of “developing a culture of conflict competency” within a business organization (read law firm).
