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Conflicts are inevitable. The question is how do you manage them in healthy ways with the appropriate mindset, anticipation, analysis, and action? This week, Dr. Jen Schwanke shares takeaways with William D. Parker from Jen’s new book, The Principal’s Guide to Conflict Management.
Listen-in as Jen explains how to approach conflict with courage. Learn the importance of managing specific conflicts with teachers, students, parents, and with yourself.
Embracing problems, not eliminating them, is an important part of the mindset for managing conflicts. Jen recommends cultivating these qualities like patience, poise, eloquence, curiosity, confidence, empathy, trust, attentiveness, clarity, equanimity, character, and acceptance.
Also, Dr. Schwanke reminds leaders not to forget the teacher experience.
While empathizing with the persons we are guiding, consider the model of motivation tree:
Roots = purpose (internal motivation)
Trunk = priorities (targets, goals, schedules, etc.)
Branches = patterns (habits)
Finally, Jen shares about the 4 10’s rule. Will the situation you’re addressing be important in 10 minutes, 10 days, 10 months, or 10 years?
Will wraps up the conversation with a reference to the book The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown. He connects the themes in Jen’s book to the lessons in the new movie of Boys in the Boat with a reminder that we are in “the same boat” – working toward the collective achievement of every member of the school community.
Listen to the entire episode for even more takeaways! If you’re interested in exploring a possible Mastermind Study Group over Jen’s book The Principal’s Guide to Conflict Management, email will@williamdparker.com to learn more.
