Conflict is a natural and unavoidable part of life. It can arise in our personal lives, with friends and family, or in our professional lives, with co-workers. No matter where it happens, it's important to learn how to manage conflict effectively. If not handled properly, conflict can lead to hurt feelings, damaged relationships, and even lawsuits. In this podcast, Susana Serrano-Davey and Kevin Appleby discuss some tips for managing conflict in both your personal and professional life.

One of the most important things to remember when managing conflict is to stay calm. This can be difficult, especially if you feel like you're being attacked or accused of something. It's important to remember that getting defensive will only make the situation worse. Take a deep breath and try to see the situation from the other person's perspective. Only then can you start to find a resolution.

Beyond this though, Susana has four great lessons for us, and she goes through each of these in turn. Listen to the podcast to find out more.

Susana Serrano-Davey is an experienced CFO and a member of the GrowCFO professional mentoring team. If you are interested in having Susana as a mentor then please get in touch using the link below.

Links

Mentoring at GrowCFO with Susana Serrano-DaveySusana Serrano-Davey on LinkedInKevin Appleby on LinkedIn

Timestamps

00:57 What is conflict?

03:15 The danger of unresolved conflict

05:34 Step 1: Take precautions, don’t respond in the heat of the moment

06:50 Write the reply email but delete it before sending

09:02 Don’t feel pressured into an immediate reply

12:16 Step 2: Some basic assumptions - nobody comes to work to intentionally create conflict

14:22 Don't jump to conclusions

14:37 Step 3: Take some time to think

18:09 It’s rarely a case of one person is right and the other is wrong

18:30 Step 4: Listen to the other person

22:30 Choose a relaxing, neutral environment for a conversation

28:30 What do you do about a historic conflict that still gets in the way?

31:00 Make the other person feel it's their solution, not yours