A520.2.3.RB_Conflict Resolution

Conflict or situations where conflict will arise are areas I like to avoid. It is not that I don’t like confrontation it is that when confronted about certain things my style of resolution isn’t always professional, especially if I am very passionate about the topic. I would like to think that I am very professional most times and I try to examine the situation from all perspectives before stating my opinion but I won’t lie and say that happens every time; we are all human and at times situations of conflict can get out of control due to personal beliefs or views.

Having been in the workforce but the better part of 10 years now, conflict is something you just cannot avoid although most days we want to. Working in the Higher Education sector also has more and unique challenges in areas in which conflict can arise.

My professional career so far has been a combination of different positions within Higher Education and currently my title is the Administrative Assistant for the Chief Technology Officer. In my current position each day brings new challenges and recently I have been adding additional projects to my plate of work. Project management is something I do well in due to my high levels of organizational skills and in the past few months I personally took on my own project as well as was asked to provide project assistance to a project my boss was leading. The conflict started about 6 weeks ago when I realized my performance levels were slipping due to my time being spread so thin between both projects. At the time of this conflict I knew that the most important area I needed to be focusing on was the project I was assisting with because it is more in depth and required extensive assistance. I chose to sit down with my boss at a weekly meeting and explain to her my conflict. I had to be diplomatic and state to her that as much as I want to lead my own project right now I know that I am not able to split my time up equally between both projects and I wanted to know if I could step down from my project until this other project was completed. It is not easy for me to do that because I like to think of myself as a sponge and enjoy getting as much experience in different positions and projects as possible. My boss was very understanding and she understood that I was trying to effectively prioritize. We both were able to come to the agreement that once this larger more in depth project was completed that I could go back to the project I had started as then I would have more time to devote to it.

It is not easy for me to step away from a project or task because I am the type of person who likes to see things to completion but I think as a strong leader you must understand your limits. If you over extend yourself there will be areas in which your performance levels will diminished. I think I made a responsible decision in asking to take a break from one project to focus on another and I think my level of professional was noted; I can only be an effective leader if I manage my time properly.

I do not think this situation could have been handled any differently because from my stand point and that of my boss’s everything was handled properly and professionally. I do understand not all situations will be handled that way but if you go in knowing the facts and can present the information in a diplomatic fashion, the results should be positive.