Everyone faces it — conflict and confrontation. It cannot be avoided in today’s fast-paced workplace … but it doesn’t have to be a negative experience. We can choose it to be, well if not positive, at least constructive.
The first step is to ‘think’ of conflict and confrontation as the opportunity for a positive outcome. We can take advantage of conflict and confrontation to enhance our connection to those around us. Connection does not mean the absence of conflict and confrontation. On the contrary, a culture that embraces collaboration and connection welcomes constructive conflict and confrontation.
The operative word here is constructive, as this kind of conflict or confrontation is purposeful and helps a team in several ways, such as building commitment, talking candidly about challenges, revealing points of behavioral and performance weakness, and examining solutions and new approaches.
At the end of the day, you must understand that conflict is a necessary part of success and must exist and flow with the positive energy of passion. In a high stress environment, such as hospital or healthcare operations during a pandemic, negative energy can run rampant and get out of control. The stress of today’s work environment is not going away. In healthcare particularly, the demands, the chaos, the uncertainty and lightning-fast changes are likely not going to change either. However, what we can do is learn to respond to it in a positive and healthy manner.
When you feel the grip of negativity take hold, remind yourself to stop, do your breathing, adjust your thoughts and your feelings. To do this we all need to continuously train our brain to stop and refocus. The skill of Positive Presence – your ability to adjust for and create a positive and energized mindset through conscious thought processes – requires a focused self-awareness for a new way of thinking and being. It is a way of thinking that focuses on improving the emotional energy flow within us and around us, at home, at work, and in our community. It is a purposeful way of thinking and behaving that brings us life and strengthens every human relationships. And it is a necessary skill to keep conflict and confrontation in the workplace on the positive and constructive side of the pendulum.
Catherine is the President and CEO of CORPORATE HARMONY, providing virtual solutions for leadership development and organizational culture change. Her leadership and coaching experience as a Project Manager in an ever-changing, fast moving technological organization with unrelenting demands drove her to the realization that a positive mindset and strength-building behaviors are essential for today’s complex and chaotic organizational systems. CORPORATE HARMONY’s virtual platform of programs, coaching and performance measurement, is an innovative online technology of tested proprietary content. The world-class content of CORPORATE HARMONY’s Positive Presence Program develops the skill of ‘Positive Presence’ and the necessary ‘Positive Presence Behaviour Competencies’ for maintaining a positive and energized mindset and increased performance in today’s complex work environment, and leading to a culture of collaboration and connection. Catherine’s vision for Corporate Harmony is to bring the skill of “Positive Presence” to the corporate world as it becomes more complex, ambiguous and chaotic. Catherine is uniquely positioned to impact organizations’ productivity and long term success, with her powerful vision of eliminating bad stress from every workplace around the globe, bringing purpose into the people equation to promote healthy, productive and meaningful work cultures and turn the tide on the neglect of mental health on a global scale. Catherine is author of the book: “CORPORATE HARMONY – The Performance Link for Today’s Modern Organization” Catherine can be reached at: Catherine.Osborne@corporateharmony.ca or go to ‘contact us’ on our website www.corporateharmony.ca. Catherine is available for consultation, and can be reached by 519-695-3407.