EP 103: Harmony Amidst Chaos: Effective Conflict Management with Carol Bowser

Thriving Practice with Tracy Cherpeski

Carol Bowser, founder of Conflict Management Strategies joins us today. We delve deeply into the art of conflict management and how it intertwines with workplace culture. We explore strategies for preventing conflicts, navigating through difficult conversations, and fostering a healthy and inclusive environment where individuals feel valued and respected.

Throughout the episode, Carol drops platinum wisdom bombs, and practical tips, personal anecdotes, and immediately actionable advice for leaders and their teams to navigate conflicts effectively, and create a healthy workplace culture.

We discuss the role of effective communication, the importance of empathy and active listening, types of open-ended questions to ask, and the power of collaboration in resolving conflicts and building stronger teams.

Carol shared an acronym to help navigate conflict:

S.O.A.P.

Subjective (how am I thinking about this situation?)

Objective (what are the facts/what’s really happening?)

Assessment (what’s the effect on me, the practice, my team?)

Plan (put a reparative plan in motion/build and put a preventative plan in place)

Read the full show notes on our website.

Throughout the episode, Carol drops platinum wisdom bombs, practical tips, personal anecdotes, and immediately actionable advice for leaders and their teams to navigate conflicts effectively, and create a healthy workplace culture.

We discuss the role of effective communication, the importance of empathy and active listening, types of open-ended questions to ask, and the power of collaboration in resolving conflicts and building stronger teams.

Carol’s parting wisdom is:

1. Understand that how you view micromanagement, conflict and good leadership is going to be different from how others view it.
2. How people say they want to be managed may be very different from how they need to be managed.
3. Be crystal clear in communicating whether your communication expectations are guidelines (negotiable, open to interpretation) or ground rules (not negotiable, set)

Bio:

Carol Bowser, J.D is a workplace conflict expert. After practicing Employment Law for several years, Carol founded Conflict Management Strategies when she realized a lawsuit can’t deliver the level of resolution and satisfaction that is gained when people are actively involved in creating solutions to their workplace conflict.

Carol’s clients come with a wide range of employers because conflict is universal across all industries and types of organizations. Where there are people, there is conflict. The key is to help people recognize and address conflict before it damages working relationships and creates organizational drag. In her over 20 years of experience, she has discovered some universal themes about workplace conflict and loves to share how people at all levels can strengthen their conflict resolution muscles.

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