Conflict Resolution

VHMA Manager to Manager

Conflicts are inevitable in a busy work environment, and misunderstandings or drama can quickly drain energy and impact everyone’s day. However when managers are equipped with strong conflict-resolution skills, they can steer these challenges toward positive solutions, enhancing team cohesion and overall morale.

Joining the podcast today is Rebecca May, a Practice Manager from Greensboro, North Carolina. Rebecca started her career at the front desk, trained as a veterinary assistant, and later returned to college to prepare for her management role. She’s passionate about change management and helping team members realize their potential. In her experience, conflicts often arise from mismatched role expectations and around patient care. She’s learned that skills like resiliency, adaptability, and emotional regulation are critical in creating a supportive team environment.

Throughout this episode, Rebecca shares her approach to building a culture of open communication, where team members can work through conflicts in healthy ways. From diffusing tension with humor to focusing on proactive training, she provides actionable strategies that can make a difference in any practice. Rebecca believes that conflict resolution, like any other skill, can be learned and developed over time, turning everyday challenges into growth opportunities for the team.

Show Notes:

[2:26] - Team conflicts happen the most when there is a mismatch in what members believe expectations to be , including with patient care.

[4:08] - Conflict happens everyday. Rebecca shares how conflict resolution became a strength of hers as a manager.

[5:31] - Team members come and go a lot more these days than they used to. This means that employees are constantly getting used to new people and their skills.

[8:59] - Resiliency and Adaptability training are extremely helpful and important.

[9:59] - Emotional regulation is not innate in all employees. Rebecca shares some strategies.

[13:46] - It’s important not to project the emotions we are feeling onto others.

[15:07] - Interestingly, some well-placed humor can make a huge difference.

[16:05] - The person is probably not the problem, but it is human nature to focus on the person.

[19:40] - Proactive conflict resolution training is a game-changer.

[20:19] - Conflict resolution is a skill that can be learned and practiced, just like any other job skill.

[23:06] - We don’t always know what’s going on in someone’s life to cause them to act in a certain way.

[24:50] - As a default, most people are conflict avoidant.

[26:17] - Rebecca describes meetings on conflict resolution and how team members can come together and agree upon effective solutions.

Thank you for listening. Remember you are not in this alone. Visit our website for more resources.

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