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logo 18 • CAMLOG Partner Magazine • July 2018 36 PRACTICE MANAGEMENT Conflicts are never resolved by: • Negation: "if we are honest, we do not have a problem at all..." • Trivialization: "Well, it's not really that bad ..." • Contradiction: "Oh, it's not that dramatic!" • Irony: "And that annoys you?" • Insult: "Well, if that already upsets you..." • Not taking it seriously: "I don't know what's eating you ..." • Overhearing:: "Yes, yes, there are many things that could go better..." TIPS: • Take emerging conflicts seriously. • Address conflicts openly. • Invite only those involved. • Ask them to join in a quiet, objective discussion. • Create an undisturbed setting. • Prepare yourself well for the meeting. Error 5: Conducting conflict talks poorly It is not only crucial that conflict discussions are conducted or moderated, but in particular how they are conducted. Poor discussions worsen conflicts and escalate them. This can result in demotivation or internal resignation. TIPS: • Share the point of criticism without prejudice and be polite. • Clearly state the mutual objective. • Ask everyone involved to remain objective and calm. • Give everyone involved enough time to express themselves. • Ask employees to explain their point of view. How did the problem arise? Often, the cause is different than expected. In this case, your expectations will also change. • Tell the employee politely and clearly what you expect from him/her. • Ask the other participants what effect the colleague's statement has on them. • Coaching question: "What did you do to let it get this far?" • Do not demand a solution. • Let the participants work out their own solutions. • Make sure that all participants have an equal say. If necessary, stop stronger verbal employees to let other people's voices be heard. • Clarify whether your support is desired. • Record the results and check that they will be implemented in the future – as agreed. Error No. 6: Unclear delegation Assigning tasks and responsibility is an important part of good leadership. Often, however, misunderstandings arise because instructions are not clearly stated. If one does not know what is expected, one acts intuitively at one's own discretion, and this does not necessarily have to be correct. TIPS: • Clarify for yourself what you expect from your employee, in what way and in what period of time. • Take your time for delegation. • Explain tasks exactly; what is important to you and why. • Ask the employee if there are any ambiguities. • Summarize the key points of the task. • For complex tasks, you can ask the employee to write a summary or checklist. Error 7: Control mania Control is good and important, but it should not exceed beyond a certain level. When a task is delegated, a target agreement should always be discussed. Too much control destroys trust, snubs, demotivates and takes the fun out of taking on a task. If supervisors tend towards strong control, this is usually due to fear, insecurity, bad experience or because a feeling of losing control is inherent. In these cases, the origin is based on the personality structure and should then be questioned. TIPS: • Check your attitude to delegation. • Check whether this is related to your past or to the employee. • Set clear goals as well as when and how you want to be informed to ensure you get the feedback you want. Error No. 8: Lack of information Lack of time or the view that not every employee needs to know everything is often the reason why employees are not sufficiently informed. Of course, it is important to select who must be informed when and how. This requires a sensitive approach. It should be checked what is of general or special interest, because information deficits have many disadvantages and are usually accompanied by a negative state of mind. You quickly get the feeling that you are excluded or that information is deliberately concealed. Uncertainty, loss of confidence, discomfort, fear and stress are the physiological consequences. It is often ignored that a lack of information usually leads to a large time investment,