Managing Conflict in the Workplace Before it Turns Toxic

Leading Your Team Series

Whether you are a business owner or a manager or an employee, conflict arises, and the more you can hone your skill to manage that conflict, the better you can handle the situation.

Too often, minor issues spiral out of control when individuals are tired or overworked and not in the right “place” to address the situation appropriately. Here are some considerations to strengthen your skills of communication.

The Start to Most Conflict

Most frequently, in-office conflict stems from miscommunications. An essential part of growing a team is to help educate everyone on different communication styles. On the one hand, a person may be blunt and to the point because that’s how they like to receive information. Whereas, another individual may want to gather all of the facts and information to make a systematic analysis before reaching a conclusion and speaking up with a final answer. Another person may wish to “talk through” all the options before reaching an ultimate decision.

In my experience, a lot of the workplace conflict arises when the speaker conveys some bit of information, but the receiver hears an entirely different message than was intended. If the speaker is rushed or already in a…