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Simple Isn't Easy
It’s tempting to believe that conflict in relationships is a complicated topic. Complicated is actually easy. A complicated problem...
John W Bailie, PhD
Jan 2, 20194 min read
360 views
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Santa Is a Bada$$
There’s a long Irish tradition of never letting the truth get in the way of a good story. In that spirit, here’s one of my favorite...
John W Bailie, PhD
Dec 12, 20183 min read
202 views
2 comments


Leadership Lessons From a Teenage Gang Member
When I saw the large knife clipped inside his waistband, my first feeling wasn’t fear. It was disappointment. I was walking up the...
John W Bailie, PhD
Oct 23, 20188 min read
211 views
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When to Drop the Big One at Work
When in doubt about whether to share what’s on your mind or engage a tough situation, its usually best to lean towards taking the risk....
John W Bailie, PhD
Oct 16, 20184 min read
220 views
0 comments


When the Sky Falls: Workplace Community and the Lessons of 9/11
On September 11, 2001, I was working as a counselor for adjudicated and at-risk youth at a private school in southeastern Pennsylvania;...
John W Bailie, PhD
Sep 5, 20186 min read
185 views
0 comments


Boss-zilla: How to Not Suck as a Leader
I love monster movies. The bigger and meaner the monster, the better the movie. Alien. Predator. The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. But when...
John W Bailie, PhD
Aug 29, 20184 min read
237 views
0 comments


Horseshoes and Hand Grenades: When “Close Enough" Isn’t Good Enough
Sometimes doing something “close” to right isn’t good enough. As a father of four I find myself increasingly making use of dad-sayings...
John W Bailie, PhD
Aug 22, 20184 min read
267 views
0 comments


Cheerfulness is a Choice… and a Weapon
Happiness is a feeling. Cheerfulness is a choice… and a weapon. By cheerfulness, I don’t mean schmaltzy niceties and fake smiles. Real...
John W Bailie, PhD
Jul 25, 20183 min read
517 views
0 comments


The Phantom Pooper: A Story from the Frontline of Workplace Conflict
I share this story with great trepidation; not only because of its scatological nature, but because I fear it might leave my valued...
John W Bailie, PhD
Jul 11, 20185 min read
570 views
11 comments


Competence Beats Confidence
Marvin was the best street fighter I’ve ever seen. The crazy thing is, you would never pick him out of a crowd as the top slugger. In...
John W Bailie, PhD
Jul 6, 20186 min read
254 views
0 comments


Don’t Manage Conflict. Lead it.
Managing is about overseeing processes, plans, and systems. It’s about keeping things, often created by others, running. Leading is about...
John W Bailie, PhD
Jun 20, 20182 min read
251 views
0 comments


Say More than “No”
What do you do when your organization asks you to do something unethical? A Leading Conflict subscriber recently posed this question to...
John W Bailie, PhD
May 22, 20184 min read
327 views
0 comments


Practice Your Listening Stance
See the picture above? That’s not a listening stance. But it might be what you look like when people try to give you feedback. One the...
John W Bailie, PhD
May 8, 20183 min read
296 views
0 comments


How to Take a Punch at Work (Part 2)
In How to Take a Punch at Work I talked about my love of boxing and one of my all-time favorite boxers, Micky Ward. As I said in the...
John W Bailie, PhD
May 1, 20184 min read
225 views
0 comments


Empathy is Overrated
Empathy is overrated. I know this is heresy. Before you light your torch and grab your pitchfork, hear me out. We live in a world...
John W Bailie, PhD
Apr 24, 20184 min read
583 views
2 comments


How to Take a Punch at Work
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ve likely realized that I’m a boxing fan. When you like a sport as much as I like...
John W Bailie, PhD
Apr 17, 20183 min read
175 views
0 comments


Against Caution: Three Ways to Lead Conflict this Week
Most of what passes for conflict management/resolution wisdom and education is far too cautious, avoidant, and frankly fails to address...
John W Bailie, PhD
Mar 14, 20182 min read
166 views
1 comment


Lead Conflict like the GOAT
To most boxing fans, Muhammad Ali is the undisputed G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time). For sure, he was a great boxer. But he won most of...
John W Bailie, PhD
Feb 26, 20187 min read
300 views
0 comments


Why You Need More Fights at Work
Contrary to what you might think, you need more fights at work – not fewer. Conflict is good. Conflict exposes our needs, desires,...
John W Bailie, PhD
Feb 13, 20183 min read
609 views
0 comments


Creative vs. Toxic Conflict at Work
In my previous article, Conflict: Love It and Lead It, I said: The highest performing groups learn that they need group members who are...
John W Bailie, PhD
Feb 6, 20184 min read
775 views
5 comments
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