Whether at work or at home, you can't avoid conflict. It comes with the territory. But conflict isn't the problem – communication is. When managed creatively, conflict encourages constructive candor, stimulates creative problem solving, and increases innovation. To the untrained, however, the destructive consequences of conflict are tension, factionalism, and decreased productivity. Conflict usually hurts, so we avoid it.

Thriving on Conflict™ offers an approach for managing conflict constructively. Instead of dreading conflict situations, you will come to recognize each new episode as an opportunity for major breakthroughs personally and professionally. Using the skills presented here, individuals and organizations will thrive on conflict.

The four-part tape series and mini-workbook assist you in bridging the gap between knowing and doing. They are designed to translate core skills into actual life situations – to move past ideas into action.

Part 1: Act – Don't React

• What we mean to say gets lost
• Our content gets held hostage by hidden messages
• Our expectations dictate our reality
• Silence creates interpersonal paralysis

Part 2: Responding to Criticism
and Anger

• Hear the emotion – don't disregard it
• Listen to what people don't say
• Find agreement in disagreement
• Transform anger into problem solving and action

Part 3: Raising Delicate Issues

• Constructive candor means being direct without being aggressive
• How to give bad news to good people
• Eliminate backstabbing, subgrouping and cliques
• Convert opponents into negotiating partners
• Avoid positions that polarize and torpedo creative thinking

Part 4: The Power of Praise

• Catch people doing things right
• The power of recognizing positive behavior
• Keep encouragement specific and pure
• Be a compliment messenger
• Praise in three distinct directions: upward, downward and laterally