Conflict a signal that something new is trying to happen.

We often don’t think of conflict in this way; instead we may think of (seemingly) pointless debates, personality clashes, hurt feelings, and distractions from the “real work.” But what if we got good at being able to disagree productively with one another? What if we could be fierce and engage in passionate discussions around issues of importance without worrying that they would devolve into mean-spirited personal attacks? How much more effective would our teams be if they could do that?

In this session, after discussing how our perspective on conflict shapes our experience of it, we will explore our own (often problematic) tendencies in conflicts, what triggers those behaviors, what more noble intentions they are trying to serve, and what choices we have about what to do instead. Drawing on the work of John Gottman, Patrick Lencioni, and Marita Fridjhon & Faith Fuller, this workshop will help you to better understand how to avoid the dilemma of choosing between artificial harmony and unproductive conflict and leave you with a plan for how to apply that new understanding.

To help people and teams thrive, we want to be fierce: we want to “show heartfelt and powerful intensity” (as the conference organizers remind us). Doing that requires that we create a strong container around that fierceness to use its energies productively. And that requires empathy.

This talk will explore how empathy – the ability to understand others' needs and ensure that they know that you understand them – is what Charles Duhigg calls a "keystone habit", a behavior change that unlocks other cascading behavior changes. Building the habit of empathy will help you to build trust, influence others, give effective feedback, and enable collaboration. Along the way, we will look at seven tools to enhance your practice of empathy and help you to be fierce.