Do you agree?
Of course February is a time for expressing affection toward those we love, but it is also an ideal time to address and resolve conflicts with people we are at odds with, as sometimes these negative relationships take up even more of our time and energy. At HB EDU conflict resolution is one of our favorite subjects because we know just how impactful it can be to an organization’s productivity and an individual’s well-being. We are not alone, the Harvard Business Review just named employee conflict resolution one of the top must-have skills for managers in 2024.
Harvard explains, “Conflicts between employees are poised to be at an all-time high due to various crises, including geopolitical issues, labor strikes, climate change, pushback to DEI efforts, and upcoming elections for half of the globe. Conflict between employees at all levels pulls down both individual and team performance… Managers who can effectively navigate and manage interpersonal conflict among employees will have an outsize positive impact on their organizations.”
Outsize positive impact! Who doesn’t want that? Since conflict resolution is a learned skill, and most managers have never officially learned it, the hope for success in this highly conflicted world is less than optimal. The Myers-Briggs Company did a workplace conflict report and said their “most striking – and alarming – finding was that the majority of employees have never received conflict management training.” Yet, “Training is the biggest driver for high-quality outcomes”.
We agree! Not only do we love to train senior leaders on conflict resolution and feel giddy when we see a team come together after one of our workshops, but we are proud to teach it to high school and college students too. We actually teach it to kids as young as 6th grade. By teaching resolution skills early on, we empower young minds to navigate interpersonal challenges with empathy and maturity, laying the foundation for healthier relationships in their futures. Harvard thinks conflict resolution skills are a top priority in the workforce for 2024, and we think they are a top priority in raising and educating good, productive humans.
Here is what one of our 7th graders said about the skills she learned in one of our courses, “I am so much happier now that I addressed the problem in my friend group. I no longer lie awake at night or stress all day about it. I am so proud that I fixed it for all of my friends too. We are all so much closer now.”
We just successfully completed a second Building Championship Teams workshop (BCT) at a state university. From the head of University HR Vicki Wisenhant : “It’s amazing how the team has transformed over the past year! The tools on communication from the BCT are an important resource to enable collaborative working environments.” The feedback we received from other deans also underscores the effectiveness of our work.
As we wrap up the month of relationships, let us embrace the opportunity to strengthen fraught relationships by finding resolutions, whether in the workplace, the classroom, or at home. If resolving conflict and creating happier relationships isn’t a form of love, then we don’t know what is. Happy February indeed!
If you are interested in learning more about our conflict and culture work in organizations or our curriculum for students, email HB EDU President & Founder, Gaby Jordan at gaby@humanbetteredu.org.
