Mediation Skills for Leaders & Managers

The workplace can be tension filled as values, loyalties, and experiences clash over shared goals, expectations for change, and the overall pace of business. Leaders and managers need new skills and approaches to resolve workplace conflict while maintaining relationships.

This program focuses on relationship-based approaches for resolving conflict in the workplace. Participants are introduced to Relationship Awareness Theory and to the approaches used by mediators when resolving difficult issues. Putting these two practice areas together provides a powerful learning experience resulting in leadership, innovation and the creation of new solutions. The incorporation of interactive learning experiences and role-plays provides participants the opportunity to practice various approaches to resolving workplace issues using real life examples. The program reviews best practices and improves skills in both relationship building and conflict management.

"Now there is a program that gets to the heart of what is needed to resolve conflict, using practical and understandable techniques. Great job - every manager should take this workshop!"
Mary O'Neil, Employee Relations Manager, banking industry

Working With Conflict is designed for any team leader, supervisor, manager or upper level executive who is experiencing, or has ever experienced, conflict at work. This course is also of interest to trainers interested in using mediation in their training.

On completion of the program, participants will:

• Become better at managing themselves and others when there is conflict
• Clarify their role as a leader/manager in creating and/or resolving issues
• Review organizational responses to conflict and the "Conflict Continuum"
• Understand Relationship Awareness¨ and its value in conflict management
• Listen to Learn¨ - sorting out what is being said
• Learn to think and act like a mediator
• Practice leading effective problem-solving conversations
• Build their own action plans to use the principles from this program
• Reduce the Cost of Conflict.

Do you know where the true costs of conflict are hiding?

• Employee turnover
• Absenteeism
• Legal and related costs
• Property loss/damage
• Time spent dealing with conflict-related issues

Learning to think and act like a mediator results in:

• Faster resolution of issues
• Better results from conflict
• Strengthened/rebuilt trust
• Improved morale

Mediation Skills for Managers is based on the principles of Relationship Awareness Theory and the techniques used by mediators when resolving difficult issues. This program is the result of a collaboration between Personal Strengths Publishing and Ken Smith. Ken has over thirty years of diverse experience that has included commercial negotiations, advising senior government officials, and professional mediation. Mr. Smith is currently President of an organization specializing in customized leadership programs and is also a senior faculty in the Leadership Development Division of the Banff Centre.