Habit and Conflict

Habit and Conflict

Habit and Conflict Do your habits affect how you experience and deal with conflict?  The short answer—yes! Our habits, for better or worse, are part of what makes us human. And they can make life easier. When I stumble into my kitchen in the early morning, half awake,...
Where Peace Is Lost to Conflict

Where Peace Is Lost to Conflict

Where peace is lost to conflict, how can we find it? Drawing inspiration for conflict transformation from science fiction. I often find science fiction novels thought provoking and inspiring. The ones I love most offer a hopeful vision of a better universe, and often...
Trigger Stacking and Conflict

Trigger Stacking and Conflict

Trigger stacking and conflict. A series of emotional triggers can set off even the most centered person! The role of emotional triggers in conflict. I have frequently taught about and coached people through emotional triggers, also called hot buttons.  When something...
Cooperation not Violence in the Real Lord of the Flies

Cooperation not Violence in the Real Lord of the Flies

Cooperation not Violence in the Real Lord of the Flies Lord of The Flies Like me, you might have read Lord of the Flies by William Golding when you were young. It is a grim story of a group of British schoolboys marooned on a deserted island after a plane crash who...
Mobbing and the Tallest Poppy

Mobbing and the Tallest Poppy

Mobbing and the Tallest Poppy: How Women’s Achievements at Work Are Cut Down. One crucial part of transforming conflict to harmony at work is addressing workplace mobbing and bullying. I myself experienced mobbing when I was a tenured faculty member at a community...
Forgive without Apology

Forgive without Apology

Forgive without apology Is an apology necessary before you can forgive someone?     Absolutely not. Of course, forgiveness is a decision that only you can make for yourself, at a time you are ready, but, despite what you may have heard, there is no rule that says...
An Uncomfortable Listening Level

An Uncomfortable Listening Level

An uncomfortable listening level can guide a difficult conversation. Are there topics or deep conversations that feel uncomfortable to you? Maybe you want to stick a finger in each ear and say, “la la la, I can’t hear you!”  Can you hear me now? Recently, I went for a...
Creating an Inclusive, Diverse Workplace

Creating an Inclusive, Diverse Workplace

Creating an inclusive, diverse workplace How do you create an inclusive, diverse workplace informed by DEIB efforts (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging)? Microvalidations can help. Hiring for diversity isn’t enough Hiring people of color and members of other...