Leadership in Conflict Resolution

When working or involved with people, it is nearly impossible to avoid issues. The slip of a tongue, competitions, backstabbing, laziness, different opinions, personal issues as well as other factors can cause conflicts and problems in the workplace.

Some of these can even be secrets or conduct that can destroy a company if not handled well. In some cases, the crisis can arise from conflicting interests between a company and its publics or a disaster caused by a company in a community. All these can cost either the involved company or certain individuals within the company.

The challenge arising from such cases is finding a solution without causing further damage or worsening the situation. Essentially, delicate situations require good leadership and/or problem-solving skills.

It’s important to know how to strengthen your leadership skills. Why leadership skills? Leaders of an organization are often at the forefront when there are issues that pose a threat to the company. As a leader, one must know the best approach to resolve conflicts. This includes knowing when and how to speak, understanding what is at stake, and knowing how to put together a team-best suited to handle the situation when necessary.

If the crisis involves external parties, it is also important to clearly understand the grievances of those people and also know the right person to contact. Also, it is important to remember that every situation requires a different style of leadership.

Whether you are representing a company or yourself in handling a conflict, it is better to avoid giving excuses for what happened especially when it is beyond a reasonable doubt that you are guilty.

Excuses may communicate that you are not remorseful and believe your actions are justifiable. Where possible, apologize in a way that shows that you regret what happened.

However, this is not as easy as it may sound since the admission of guilt can still cost you, sometimes unnecessarily. It is for this reason that scholars like Coombs (2007) suggested response strategies used by organizations to deal with delicate situations.

These are denial (denying that there is a problem), diminish and rebuild (denies intent to harm and/or claims inability to control events that led to the problem), and bolstering (uses past good works to counter-balance the current negatives from the crisis and is used in support of the previous strategies).

It is then up to the one blamed for the problem to identify the best response to give in dealing with the situation. Past good deeds can speak on behalf of the accused and make it easier for them to be understood or forgiven.

Needless to say, having enough details helps to make informed decisions. In addition to that, consider company rules with regards to disciplinary hearings, employment termination, outplacement services, and general problem-solving.

Whether you are required to handle a delicate situation as a mediator or as an employee relations manager handling an issue with one employee, it is imperative to listen attentively without judging or sounding judgmental in your responses.

On the same hand, observing behaviors helps you understand or identify what has not been communicated and what is less likely to be true to help probe further and get enough information to support your decision.

Understanding your role as the problem solver and understanding that both individuals or, both the company and an employee rely on your fair judgment for justice to be saved and issues are rectified can help you do the job to the best of your abilities.

Where the damage has already been done, avoid worsening it and give yourself and the other person time to think things through and calm down. Generally, dealing with people can be hard and your humility can be met with pride and aggressive words.

Last but not least, if you must terminate anyone’s employment, or if you must resign, be sure to reach out to a professional resume writer like Market-Connections Resume Services at https://www.market-connections.net. By taking quick action, everyone can do their part to resolve the situation as smoothly and as quickly as possible.