Recently, I was able to participate in one of NEHRA’s Success at Work™ classes, Navigating Conflict for Success. This is part of a series of programs we hold along with Ed Evarts of Evarts Coaching, and Beth Kennedy of Benatti Training and Development. Manage Change for Success and Strategic Communication for Success round out the 3-class series. This is our third time offering this cycle, and each time is a big, well, success!
Unfortunately, conflict is something we all deal with in our personal and professional lives, and this program really gives you the tools necessary to not only face conflict but find ways to minimize its effects. We started off by discussing what we believe to be the sources of most conflict. After we discovered that pretty much anything can transform itself into the potential for conflict, we realized we had our work cut out for us!
We moved on to review the different Myers-Briggs Personality Types (we completed the MBTI assessment online a few days prior to the course, and Ed and Beth determined our personality types before we arrived that day.) Before they gave us each our individual results, we discussed all of the types as a whole (Extrovert/Introvert, iNtuitive/Sensing, Feeling/Thinking, Perceiving/Judging). It was fun to guess what your results might be, based on the discussion. After we learned a bit about each preference, we received our results and were able to discuss them with Ed and Beth. We moved onto review the strengths of our types, as well as our individual ‘conflict generators’. While there was a lot of self reflection during this time, it was also helpful to think about the various personalities in our lives, and how we might better manage conflict with them.
After lunch, we got to work role-playing various conversations around conflict resolution. We worked in small groups which really allowed us to hear other’s perspectives and explore thoughts outside of our own line of thinking. It also created a great awareness around the different ways our personality preferences affect our views towards conflict. My particular personality type seeks harmony and avoids conflict, so this class really opened my eyes to ways that I can confidently approach and work through conflict.
Overall, it was a very productive day, and I took away techniques that I can apply starting immediately. It truly is empowering to know your personality preference, and understand how that might hinder (or help!) you in navigating conflict.
I hope that you are able to join us for one (or all) of the Success at Work™ programs that we offer. Please see the listing below, and feel free to contact us with questions about my experience, registering, etc.!
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