simply better ways to negotiate and resolve conflict

Complicated stuff doesn't need more complication, it needs less.

Negotiating successfully in your personal and professional relationships shouldn't require you to memorize a dozen steps. Resolving conflict and reducing tension at work or home doesn't have to take months. Staying calm in difficult conversations shouldn't require a long recipe.

It's been said that in a complicated world, nothing stands out like simplicity. Dr. Tammy Lenski helps individuals and organizations use simply better ways to dramatically shift negotiations and conflict.


7 questions for letting go of anger during conflict

24 May 2012
sand and stone

Anger can be a gift. When tracked to its source, it tells us something about what's important to us and what feels threatened by the conflict. When I'm mediating, I don't fear my clients' anger because when I see it, I know we're about to learn something really valuable together. So, perhaps letting go of anger during conflict isn't the right goal. To allow the gift of anger to help us unravel the conflict at its true source, we need to handle our anger so that doesn't create debris or hurt … [continue reading]

About the author: Dr. Tammy Lenski helps individuals and organizations use simply better ways to dramatically shift negotiations and conflict. © 1997-2012 Tammy Lenski. All rights reserved. Read more posts in this category: Keep calm in conflict and negotiation

10 questions from New England ACR

18 May 2012
Mind like water

Last month I facilitated a conversation about language and relevancy in the conflict resolution field for the New England Association for Conflict Resolution annual meeting. If you're a New England mediator who missed the vibrant, fast-paced discussion, you can now read a summary of it in the publicly available Winter-Spring 2012 NE-ACR News. I was also profiled in the issue for their ongoing "10 Questions for..." series. Here's a snippet: How did you get started in this field? I was a … [continue reading]

About the author: Dr. Tammy Lenski helps individuals and organizations use simply better ways to dramatically shift negotiations and conflict. © 1997-2012 Tammy Lenski. All rights reserved. Read more posts in this category: News and announcements

A better way to fix problems at work

16 May 2012

If you are a manager or leader, you will be pressed to fix problems by suggesting or implementing solutions of your own. So work is fertile ground for you to learn how to resist the temptation some of the time. Practice helping them fix problems themselves. You'll get credit for helping them develop and mature as employees. You'll stop being overwhelmed by the constant stream of help everyone needs and find more career-advancing ways to spend your day. And you'll be taller. I learned how … [continue reading]

About the author: Dr. Tammy Lenski helps individuals and organizations use simply better ways to dramatically shift negotiations and conflict. © 1997-2012 Tammy Lenski. All rights reserved. Read more posts in this category: Resolve conflict and negotiate

The agile conflict resolver: Going beyond the toolbox

8 May 2012

I attended a day-long canine agility seminar recently with one of my dogs. I've been running agility with my dogs for a couple of years and occasionally compete in trials. As I prepared to run a course the instructor had set up, I stood on the start line with my dog and mentally checked off the things I wanted to attend to as we ran: Draw the line. Remember to push out hard at that corner so she takes the outside obstacle. Keep the talking to a minimum. And for goodness sake, Tammy, try to … [continue reading]

About the author: Dr. Tammy Lenski helps individuals and organizations use simply better ways to dramatically shift negotiations and conflict. © 1997-2012 Tammy Lenski. All rights reserved. Read more posts in this category: Resolve conflict and negotiate

Getting interpersonal conflict unstuck at ACR

2 May 2012

Are you attending the Association for Conflict Resolution's national convention in September? If you are, I hope you'll consider attending a pre-conference workshop I've been invited to teach and help spread the word about it. I'll be unveiling, for the first time in depth, a simplified conflict resolution process I've developed over the last decade and have been using successfully with mediation, coaching, and consulting clients for several years. Participants will learn the basics of the … [continue reading]

About the author: Dr. Tammy Lenski helps individuals and organizations use simply better ways to dramatically shift negotiations and conflict. © 1997-2012 Tammy Lenski. All rights reserved. Read more posts in this category: News and announcements, Resolve conflict and negotiate

Putting out fires

27 April 2012

I was asked recently how long I've been "putting out fires." For quite a while, it turns out. When I was little I became an official Junior Forest Ranger, one of hundreds of thousands of children recruited by Smokey the Bear. (I know, I know, his correct name is Smokey Bear but I grew up when it was popular to add "the" and taking it back out of his name just makes it sound wrong to me.) My little Golden children's book had a drawing of tiny Smokey clinging to a charred tree, his feet … [continue reading]

About the author: Dr. Tammy Lenski helps individuals and organizations use simply better ways to dramatically shift negotiations and conflict. © 1997-2012 Tammy Lenski. All rights reserved. Read more posts in this category: Conflict resolution stories