Conflict Managed

The Neuroscience of Conflict

Today on Conflict Managed, Dr. Melinda Burrell talks with us about the neuroscience of conflict, turning fear and anger into growth opportunities, and the universal importance of treating all people with respect. She shares personal workplace conflict experiences dealing with courage and the aftermath of mismanaged organizational change (with a twist).  We discuss David Rock’s SCARF model, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, John Gottman’s “Magic Ratio”, and Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking Fast and Slow.
Melinda Burrell is a democracy and peacebuilding specialist who has spent 25 years living and working in conflict zones, from helping oversee the first post-war elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina to leading a humanitarian mission into Lebanon during the 2006 Israel/Hezbollah war. Her recent doctoral dissertation explored how Americans experience talking across political divides.
Dr. Burrell now writes, speaks, and trains on the neuroscience of communication and conflict. As a board member of the National Association for Community Mediation, she supports dispute resolution centers around the country as they help their communities resolve conflicts such as those between neighbors, landlords and tenants, citizens and police, and, most recently, schoolboards and parents.
Website: Melindaburrell.com
Twitter: @MelindaCBurrell
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melinda-burrell-3b24371b/
Conflict Managed is hosted by Merry Brown and produced by Third Party Workplace Conflict Restoration Services. Contact us at 3PConflictRestoration@gmail.com. Our music is courtesy of Dove Pilot.

Valuing People’s Time

Have you ever worked on a project, investing your time, effort, and energy only to find out your boss (or organization) didn’t really care about what you worked on… or maybe they never even looked at it?
Today on Conflict Managed, Dr. Kevin Timpe discusses the importance of valuing workers through respecting their time. Kevin talks about the value of clarifying work expectations, the role of strong emotions in the workplace, and his ADA advocacy work.
Kevin Timpe is Professor and Department Chair of Philosophy at Calvin University. He holds the endowed William H. Jellema Chair in Christian Philosophy. His academic interests include free will, virtue ethics, philosophy of religion, philosophy of disability, and metaphysics.
Some of Kevin’s recent books and articles include:
"Denying a Unified Concept of Disability," The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy(forthcoming in 2022). 
"Agency and Disability," in The Routledge Handbook of Agency, edited by Luca Ferrero (Routledge, 2022):159-168.
"What are Intended as Systems of Support become Systems of Struggle," Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture(2021).
The Virtues: A Very Short Introduction, with Craig Boyd. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021.
Routledge Companion to Free Will, edited with Meghan Griffith & Neil Levy. New York: Routledge, 2016.
Free Will and Theism: Connections, Contingencies, and Concerns, edited with Daniel Speak. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016.
Virtues and Their Vices, edited with Craig Boyd. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014.
Free Will in Philosophical Theology, Bloomsbury Studies in Philosophy of Religion. London: Bloomsbury, 2013.
Free Will and Its Alternatives, 2nd and expanded edition. London: Bloomsbury, 2012.
Metaphysics and God: Essays in Honor of Eleonore Stump. New York: Routledge, 2009.
Arguing about Religion. New York: Routledge, 2009.
“DefiantAfterlife—Disability and Uniting Ourselves to God,” in Voices from the Edge: Centering Marginalized Perspectives in Analytic Theology, ed. Michelle Panchuk and Michael Rea, Oxford Studies in Analytic Theology (Oxford University Press, 2020): 206–231.
"The Lost Sheep in Philosophy of Religion: New Perspectives on Disability, Gender, Race, and Animals, edited with Blake Hereth". New York: Routledge, 2019.
“‘Upright , Whole, and Free’—Eschatological Union with God,” TheoLogica2.2 (2018),1-16.
Kevin also runs a disability advocacy group, 22 Advocacy, that focuses primarily on helping families of disabled students get the supports they’re supposed to under federal education law.
You can find Kevin online at:
https://kevintimpe.com/blog/
https://www.facebook.com/22Advocacy
https://twitter.com/22Advocacy
Conflict Managed is hosted by Merry Brown and produced by Third Party Workplace Conflict Restoration Services. Contact us at 3PConflictRestoration@gmail.com. Our music is courtesy of Dove Pilot.
 
 
 

Optimize Conflict to Drive Innovation and Creativity

Is conflict at work always bad? Is there anything good that comes out of conflict?
Today on Conflict Managed, David Liddle, founder and CEO of The TCM Group, argues it is time to move beyond simply addressing conflict and towards harnessing the vast potential managed conflict brings to organizations. He asks us to consider if our current HR practices and systems lead to restorative (constructive/human-centric/future focused) or retributive (destructive/blame/shame/backwards focused) outcomes. David discusses the most important features of organizations, hybrid work environments, the causes of conflict, and the need for us to learn how to disagree well.
David Liddle is CEO of The TCM Group and president of the Institute of Organisational Dynamics. He is author of ‘MANAGING CONFLICT’ (Kogan Page/CIPD) and his second book, ‘TRANSFORMATIONAL CULTURE’ was recently shortlisted as Business Book of the Year. David is currently working on a new text for the Economist entitled ‘How to Disagree Well’ and the 2nd Edition of Managing Conflict is due to be published in early 2023.
Originating from Nottingham in the East Midlands, David has extensive experience of cultural transformation, conflict resolution and leadership development. In the early nineties, David established and ran the Leicestershire Mediation Service for eight years – one of the first community mediation programs in the UK.
In 2001, David established The TCM Group – Putting People First™. His vision for TCM was, and still is, to help organizations to develop purpose driven, values based and person-centered cultures. For the past two decades, David has been at the forefront of conflict management, human resources, employee relations and leadership best practice. In 2021, David was recognized as one of the global top 20 HR most influential thinkers and in 2022, he was invited to join the prestigious Thinkers50 Radar.
David has built a world class team of consultants and a head office team who work with numerous household names to develop and integrate fair, just, inclusive, sustainable and high performing systems, cultures and leadership practices. David was awarded his MBA with distinction after studying the use of mediation and ADR within three large organizations. David has created the FAIR Model™ which is the benchmark mediation and investigations model in use in workplaces across the UK.
David is a father of three beautiful children and, when he is not mediating or writing, he enjoys cycling and a spot of amateur dramatics.
You can find David Liddle online at:
linkedin.com/in/liddledavid
https://thetcmgroup.com/us/
david.liddle@thetcmgroup.com,
Conflict Managed is hosted by Merry Brown and produced by Third Party Workplace Conflict Restoration Services. Contact us at 3PConflictRestoration@gmail.com. Our music is courtesy of Dove Pilot.

Courage is the Bridge Between Conflict and Connection

Caught in a work conflict? Not sure what to do?
Today on Conflict Managed, Marlene Chism, seasoned speaker, thought partner, advisor, coach, and author, encourages us to change the narrative in difficult circumstances. Marlene recounts a situation at work where she backed down from what was in her best interest. Convinced “there’s nothing I can do about it now,” she was encouraged to rethink that narrative and be creative. She wasn’t powerless. She could choose to act. Did she? What was the outcome? Listen to find out how one act of courage can change a person’s life.
Marlene Chism is CEO of Marlene Chism Consulting, which offers a comprehensive suite of consulting services to businesses and leaders. Widely recognized as the leading US authority on stopping workplace drama, she works with C-Suite leaders to build drama-free cultures that drive growth and reduce costly mistakes. Marlene is known for helping managers address “the elephant in the room” and initiate conversations that get results. Her expertise includes leadership development, conflict management, and strategic communications.
Marlene’s leadership development courses are instrumental in teaching mid-level and senior leaders the strategic communication skills to initiate conversations that get results and increase accountability. She’s a recognized expert on the LinkedIn (formerly Lynda) global learning platform, producing educational videos on Anger Management, Having Difficult Conversations, Working with High Conflict People, and Managing Conflict and Getting Results in a Hybrid Work Environment. 
In addition to her latest work From Conflict to Courage: How to Stop Avoiding and Start Leading (2022) Marlene has authored  Stop Workplace Drama (Wiley 2011), No-Drama Leadership (Bibliomotion 2015), and Stop Drama in Your Healthcare Practice (Greenbranch 2018).
Marlene has a degree in communications from Drury University, and a master’s degree in human resources development from Webster University.  She is an advanced practitioner in Narrative coaching.
You can find Marlene online at:
https://marlenechism.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlenechism/
https://www.youtube.com/marlenechism
Please like and subscribe to Conflict Managed wherever you listen to podcasts.
Conflict Managed is hosted by Merry Brown and produced by Third Party Workplace Conflict Restoration Services. Contact us at 3PConflictRestoration@gmail.com. Our music is courtesy of Dove Pilot.

The Power of Persistence

You will fail. You will have difficult times. When hard times come your way, what will you do?
Today on Conflict Managed, Randy Boyd, University of Tennessee President, encourages us to persevere in the face of hardship. He tells us the four things he has discovered successful businesses do, settling disputes with win/win/win in mind (you’ll have to listen to find out what the extra win is!), and a great program, The Birthday Lunch and Listen, where people from across the organization are celebrated and listened to as well as creating an opportunity for employees to network with each other.
Randy Boyd was appointed as the 26th president of the University of Tennessee System by the UT Board of Trustees March 27, 2020, following a 16-month period as interim president. Boyd founded Knoxville-based Radio Systems Corporation, a company that produces over 4,000 pet related products under the brand names PetSafe, Invisible Fence, ScoopFree and SportDOG. The company employs more than 1,400 people with offices in six countries around the world.
Boyd Sports, LLC, owned by Randy and Jenny Boyd, owns the Greeneville Flyboys and Tennessee Smokies.  The company also owns the Johnson City Doughboys, Elizabethton River Riders and operates the Kingsport Axmen.
Boyd also served the state of Tennessee in numerous roles, including serving as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development and as the governor’s special advisor on higher education where he was the architect for Tennessee Promise and Drive to 55. He is also the founder and chairman of the non-profit Tennessee Achieves.
Randy and Jenny Boyd have dedicated their lives to giving back. In 2018, the couple formed the Boyd Foundation to further promote youth education, mental health, the arts and animal welfare. Among the Foundation’s many philanthropic commitments is the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research and the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation’s Boyd Venture Challenge seed grant program for student entrepreneurs, both through the Haslam College of Business at UT Knoxville.
Boyd is the first in his family to graduate from college. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business with an emphasis on industrial management from UT Knoxville. He also earned a master’s degree in liberal studies with a focus on foreign policy from the University of Oklahoma.
The Boyds live in Knoxville and have two children and two grandchildren.
You can find Randy Boyd online at utpresident@tennessee.edu.
Conflict Managed is hosted by Merry Brown and produced by Third Party Workplace Conflict Restoration Services. Contact us at 3PConflictRestoration@gmail.com. Our music is courtesy of Dove Pilot.

Belonging

When you think of belonging, what does it mean to you at work? Do you feel you belong where you work? Why?
Today on Conflict Managed, Kristin Dunn, Director of Systems Advancement at AIMHiTN, talks to us about her remote job, which she joined a year before the pandemic hit. Kristin discusses the benefits of a remote workforce, crafting caring policies, the importance of reflective practices, and being creative to stay connected. Kristen also shares with us how she has (and is) dealing with recent health issues and being a working mother. She tells us what it’s like to work for an organization who has come along side her, supporting her with resources and assistance, to continue to work through her difficult health challenges.
Kristin Dunn received her bachelor’s degree in Child and Families Studies with a minor in Political Science from the University of Tennessee at Martin and her master’s degree in Recreational Therapy from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Upon graduation, she spent time in Washington DC with the Children Rights Council advocating for children to have access to both parents. Kristin then went onto providing Recreational Therapy for Adolescents in Residential Treatment in Chattanooga, TN. She later served 10 years of her career in Prevention and Early Intervention Services in Knoxville, TN, including Healthy Families Home Visiting Program and the Regional Intervention Program. She joined AIMHiTN in 2019.  Kristin enjoys sharing with others about Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health and learning about all the great work Tennessee is doing. 
During her time off she enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling with her husband, cheering on the Volunteers, and being outdoors. Her professional and personal motto is "Every child (person) should know a little joy every day."
You can find Kristin Dunn online at https://aimhitn.org/about-us/staff-board.
Conflict Managed is hosted by Merry Brown and produced by Third Party Workplace Conflict Restoration Services. Contact us at 3PConflictRestoration@gmail.com. Our music is courtesy of Dove Pilot.

Mindfulness

Are you tired of reacting to work situations in a manner you regret? How do you become the person you want to be in your organization, in both good and bad times?
Today on Conflict Managed, Jonathan Rodrigues encourages us to be mindful. When you practice mindfulness, you develop the habits of acting in line with your values and reflecting over events, intentionally evaluating what went well and what you’d like to change. Jonathan also talks about the importance of educating and empowering people to know of the ‘multiple doors’ available to them when they find themselves caught in a conflict. Though a seasoned mediator, Jonathan tells us of a difficult work conflict he experienced with three other mediators (all of us encounter destructive conflict!) and reflects on what could have turned that situation around.
Jonathan Rodrigues leads the Institute of Organisational Dynamics, which is a membership think-tank of The TCM Group. He is a trained and certified mediator, who has spent the last half-a-dozen years building momentum and capacity for the Mediation movement in India. He graduated from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow - Scotland, where he completed his masters degree in Mediation and Conflict Resolution. 
You can find Jonathan online:
Email: jonathan.rodrigues@organisationaldynamics.org
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jonarod
You can listen to Jonathan’s TEDx Talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cuc1OLtxb3E
Conflict Managed is hosted by Merry Brown and produced by Third Party Workplace Conflict Restoration Services. Contact us at 3PConflictRestoration@gmail.com. Our music is courtesy of Dove Pilot.

Listen to Your Employees

On a scale from 1 to 10, how much do you feel listened to at work? Have you ever left an organization because you felt unvalued?
Today on Conflict Managed, we are joined by experienced welder Jeremy McKeel. Listen as he recounts contrasts his experience of working in a demoralizing environment that was rigid, lacking in empathy, and did not listen to employee ideas as opposed to the workplace he finds himself now where he is encouraged and expected to speak up with new ideas and safety concerns. Jeremy tells us what it is like to work in a caring environment, a productive way to approach inevitable employee mistakes, and his vision for the future of workplaces where people decide to create an environment where a conscious decision is made to work together for the good of each other and the organization.
Conflict Managed is hosted by Merry Brown and produced by Third Party Workplace Conflict Restoration Services. Contact us at 3PConflictRestoration@gmail.com. Our music is courtesy of Dove Pilot.

Challenges of a Working Mother

How do we free people to be their brilliant selves at work? For one, we need to make sure their most pressing needs are addressed. For working parents of young children, foremost on the mind is quality (and affordable) daycare. Have you encountered issues with daycare?
Today on Conflict Managed, Marsh Naidoo talks to us of her journey (so far) of being a working mom raising a child with special needs. She is the founder and host of RaisingKellan, a podcast to empower and educate parents raising children with disabilities and developmental delays.  Listen as Marsh recounts a wonderful work environment she calls the “golden moment,” and the importance of being transparent with workers about pay and career pathways within organizations.
Marsh Naidoo is a physical therapist with 25 years of experience. She is a graduate of the University of KwaZulu (South Africa) and was recruited as a travel physical therapist to the US in 1997 where she worked in a variety of clinical settings. She is a board member of Healing Horses, Inc. A PATH-certified therapeutic horsemanship center in Dyersburg, Tennessee, member of the American Physical Therapy Association and the American Business Women's Association. 
In March 2020 Marsh founded Teletherapy Services, a hybrid boutique physical therapy service that offers in-person or virtual care.
Marsh Founded Raising Kellan, Inc, a nonprofit that provides a digital platform to empower and educate parents raising children with developmental delays or disabilities http://www.raisingkellan.org. She is the author of the book: "What I Wish I Knew Back Then."
You can find Marsh Naidoo online at https://www.facebook.com/raisingkellan.org
Conflict Managed is hosted by Merry Brown and produced by Third Party Workplace Conflict Restoration Services. Contact us at 3PConflictRestoration@gmail.com. Our music is courtesy of Dove Pilot.

Other Colleagues’ Conflicts

Have you ever been caught in the middle of other people’s conflicts? You are not feuding with anyone, but the people in your office are stuck in an unmanaged conflict and it is making your work environment unnecessarily difficult?
Today on Conflict Managed, we talk with Bryan Wolski, who works in cybersecurity. Bryan recalls a situation where he got along with his colleagues, but his colleagues did not get along with each other. Listen as he recounts the strategy he employed to deal with this difficult (and all too common) situation and reflects on whether it was successful. Bryan also tells us about his best work experiences where he developed professionally and had the most fun. He shares his insight, gathered from 15 years of experience, as to what is an essential ingredient of remote work.
Bryan leaves us with the great reminder to “humanize” our colleagues. When you start to “other” them, we can make excuses for treating them as less than. Resist that temptation, and instead see the humanity in your colleagues and act with empathy.
Bryan Wolski is currently a Sales Enablement Lead for a cybersecurity startup. His path included being a Systems Engineer at three different IT and Security manufacturers, a salesperson in 3 different industries, a professional musician, and many of the jobs you find in a restaurant. Bryan doesn’t have a college degree, so he had to self-study and get on-the-job training for advancement and to convince hiring managers to take a chance on him.
You can find Bryan Wolski online at:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-wolski/ 
Twitter: @bryanwolski 
Facebook (Music): https://www.facebook.com/PastMusicCity 
Conflict Managed is hosted by Merry Brown and produced by Third Party Workplace Conflict Restoration Services. Contact us at 3PConflictRestoration@gmail.com. Our music is courtesy of Dove Pilot.