As a manager, there’s a good chance you’ll experience a hostile situation in the workplace. These moments can be challenging, but they can be valuable for your growth as a manager. How you handle it can make you stronger. Here are the best tips and tricks for transforming hostile situations into collaborative work opportunities.
Don’t Take it Personally
Remember, whatever’s happening among your team, it’s not personal. Don’t take conflict and hostile work situations as being directly about you. It could be the situation or another factor impacting this negativity. If you make it about you, you may be unable to get to the root of the problem.
Build a Rapport
People are more responsive when they like the people they’re dealing with. This is true in favorable situations but doubly so when conflict is happening. Build a rapport with the people on all sides of the challenge. Be on their side. Show them how you can help them resolve the issue, not just enforce rules.
Shift from Blame to Problem-Solving
Pointing figures is a natural reaction in the face of conflict, but it doesn’t solve the problem. It’s up to you to shift the focus from blame to determining the best next steps. Take time to talk to everyone involved and figure out what it would take to resolve the issue. Then be the mediator in figuring out the solution.
Know When to Walk Away
One of the most important things to know is when it’s a challenging problem and when you’re dealing with a bully. If you find the situation caused by bullying behavior, it’s time to walk away. That doesn’t mean the problem is put to bed, but you may need to take more drastic action to solve the issue. If collaboration can’t happen, you may need to change your team.
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