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Learning conflict resolution skills can help women in their careers as these skills are vital for business leaders. Conflicts at work create inefficiencies, reduce employee morale, increase employee turnover, and take the focus away from company goals and objectives.
A business leader who can help organizations avoid these undesirable outcomes can be an asset. This article explores why conflict resolution skills are becoming increasingly important and how women can use these skills for their career progression.
Managing Your Own Conflicts
A major benefit of women learning conflict resolution is that it can help them manage their own conflicts. Workplace conflicts can be unavoidable in some situations, but knowing how to navigate or resolve them could be key to career advancement. When there is a dispute or disagreement, you can use their conflict resolution skills to reach a practical and mutually beneficial solution.
In some cases, your colleagues are going to be in senior roles, and your relationship with them will define your career advancement in the organization. If you can avoid or manage conflicts, you have a better chance of maintaining a good relationship with your colleagues. If any of these colleagues reach senior-level positions in the company, you have a better chance of being promoted.
De-Escalating Conflicts Early
One way to de-escalate conflicts is to address the issue immediately. In other words, women can use their conflict resolution skills to nip conflict in the bud before it escalates to a major issue.
Business leaders are often looking for problem solvers. If women in the workplace can develop the ability to solve problems, they can be a valuable resource for business leaders. It’s a quality that can lead them to senior positions in the organization.
Developing Emotional Intelligence
Learning conflict resolution can help women develop emotional intelligence skills. Emotional intelligence refers to the ability of a person to manage personal relationships through empathy and defuse conflicts. Women tend to naturally have emotional intelligence capabilities.
Many studies have highlighted the importance of emotional intelligence in career progression. Some of these studies have stated that emotional intelligence is even more important than technical skills in career advancement, especially for senior roles in an organization.
When you learn conflict resolution, you learn skills to identify and constructively address disputes. You also learn how to communicate your feelings in a non-confrontational manner.
If you want to develop conflict resolution skills, consider enrolling in professional training programs. They will teach you strategies for conflict resolution and take you through situational examples to hone your skills. Several conflict resolution workshops are conducted online, so you don’t have to be on-site if it’s inconvenient. Another way to develop conflict resolution skills is to engage in role-playing exercises with your colleagues, career coach, or a friend.
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