Some ideas and thoughts on dealing with conflict as a leader.
In this blog series looking at the role of a LEADER, I will be sharing ideas and strategies following common research for change management and starting at a new school as a school leader. I have had several requests to share my thoughts on starting at a school that needed urgent improvement in many areas. Also, to advise on what leaders can do to cope with the demands of leadership, getting a balance and remaining calm, positive and focused on the task at hand.
Conflict
In every school, there will be occasions where staff will disagree, possibly argue or have a conflict with another professional during your time as a leader. There are many reasons that can cause conflict in a team. There are several ways of dealing with workplace conflict and also various tips for dealing with conflict.
Do not avoid the conversation.
“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” — Winston Churchill
Having the conversation
It is important to speak to the staff involved, to share clear guidelines and expectations during the conversations. This seems like straightforward advice, but I have lost count of the amount of times that staff have tried to deal with situations and overlooked this. They assume that people want to avoid further problems and to just work through the conflict or disagreement. Creating an environment with structure, routines and expectations enables you to listen carefully, hear out the staff involved and to model your calm, patient and positive approach in difficult situations. These ideas can be used directly with your team as a method of resolving conflict.
You should plan when staff are free to talk and then start to formulate a plan to reach an understanding that realigns all staff back to the shared vision of the school, how to handle conflict.
Some conflicts will not be resolved as you intend at the start of the process. It is advantageous to be aware of a range of conflict resolution strategies. Another great strategy is to separate the person from the problem and looking at different ways of having the conversation and managing conflict with more productively.
As a school, we can all work hard on avoiding as many conflicts as possible by the way we treat and interact with each other at work each day. We can continue to invest time in this and develop strategies for managing conflict. There are also strategies for avoiding workplace conflict by using ideas such as:
Staff wellbeing surveys
Positivity and encouraging behaviours
Work and humour
Awareness of staff workload
Seek advice from colleagues
One step ahead in identifying and navigating through potential issues
Finally, for leaders, how Principals can banish toxic adult behaviour in the workplace.
“People will forget what you said, they will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou
Some staff may ask difficult questions, prepare 'default' answers for such questions.
Meeting process for conflict:
Arrange a time when everyone is available and not before another meeting, at the end of the day is best or open-ended.
Plan ahead and prepare to remain calm and professional
Anticipate difficult questions, accusations and know what you will say to keep the meeting 'on track'.
Refer to school objectives, values and try and get staff aligned together.
Listen actively.
Acknowledge points made and repeat to show understanding
Record facts and explain next steps
Thank, respect and be professional.
There are files on the leadership resources page along with 50 other files and ideas for you to try.
Published by Paul Walton. @paultwalton
Principal, Educator, Leadership Coach.
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