Every day, I am involved in managing conflicts, difficult discussions and unpredictable events. On a daily basis, I have had to learn how to manage the emotional aspect of conflicts before adopting a rational discourse and proposing solutions.
Recently, I wrote “when we give emotions the space to be felt and shared, they usually don’t wallow in our minds.”
This morning I was trying to support a colleague’s work as she was doing the analysis of an adverse event where we identifed that a mistake was made and I said this to her:
“The idea that should guide you in all your interventions is to constantly look for the answer to the following question: How can I bring out the best in this person? Correcting behaviors is easy using the stick method. Bringing out the best in others is an art.”
Looking back, I think this applies everywhere, both in our professional and personal lives.
Beyond simplistic stick and carrot approaches, what people are looking for most is to feel understood in a trusting relationship that allows space for vulnerability and expression of what is felt, whether it is beautiful or not so beautiful.
Thank you.
Martin Pham Dinh 