All conflicts can be resolved
Testimonials
Loyal, confidential & efficient
What our customers say
Why are some of our quotes and cases anonymous?
Many of our assignments are about helping customers in situations that can be vulnerable for both the organization and the employees and managers involved. Full confidentiality is therefore needed both before and after an assignment. For this reason, we do not ask our customers for opinions when it comes to psychological work environment or vulnerable conflict cases. Our focus is on completing the tasks entrusted to us - loyally, confidentially and efficiently.
But of course, it's important that you can see how we work with this type of assignment and what our customers say about our help. That's why we have briefly described some specific cases and results in collaboration with selected, anonymous customers below. The customers themselves have wanted to give us a statement, but they do not want their organization to be associated with conflicts for press, business or political reasons. However, not all our cases are anonymous. In our cases involving conflict training, sparring and facilitation for employees and organizations, the vast majority of companies have chosen to participate by name - and we are incredibly grateful for that.
Based on these anonymous cases, we hope that you will contact us if you need to learn more or address a specific challenge you may be facing in your organization.
Testimonials & cases
"You have to want to be part of the change yourself and be open to the feedback you receive from your employee and your consultant. I chose to use the program as a golden opportunity to acquire new knowledge and learning and see it as a positive and good experience, even though the program had started because of a bad APV. As a result, I now look back on this program as one of the best management experiences I've had and one of the most rewarding management development programs I've been through"
"You have to want to be part of the change yourself and be open to the feedback you receive from your employee and your consultant. I chose to use the program as a golden opportunity to acquire new knowledge and learning and see it as a positive and good experience, even though the program had started because of a bad APV. As a result, I now look back on this program as one of the best management experiences I've had and one of the most rewarding management development programs I've been through"
“Over a long period of time, some conflicts had built up between colleagues in different teams. This became particularly evident in connection with their weekly meetings in the large team. As a manager, I had tried to continuously solve the problems and conflicts that arose, but suddenly experienced that the conflict between two employees in particular escalated so that one of them was briefly on sick leave. The atmosphere in the large team was very affected and there was also great nervousness about how things would go when the employee on sick leave returned. Against this background, I decided to contact the Center for Conflict Prevention to start a process of conflict mediation. Some employees were quite skeptical and some were worried, but everyone could see that something new was needed.
After the first interviews, which were agreed to be conducted before the mediation, the feedback was very positive. There was a great sense of security - and a belief that it was possible to move forward together and several had gained new perspectives on their own role in relation to the situation and not least in relation to co-responsibility for the future.
After the mediation process was completed, we had made some concrete agreements, some ground rules and the employees had seen some sides of each other that were valuable in terms of re-establishing a good working relationship"
“Over a long period of time, some conflicts had built up between colleagues in different teams. This became particularly evident in connection with their weekly meetings in the large team. As a manager, I had tried to continuously solve the problems and conflicts that arose, but suddenly experienced that the conflict between two employees in particular escalated so that one of them was briefly on sick leave. The atmosphere in the large team was very affected and there was also great nervousness about how things would go when the employee on sick leave returned. Against this background, I decided to contact the Center for Conflict Prevention to start a process of conflict mediation. Some employees were quite skeptical and some were worried, but everyone could see that something new was needed.
After the first interviews, which were agreed to be conducted before the mediation, the feedback was very positive. There was a great sense of security - and a belief that it was possible to move forward together and several had gained new perspectives on their own role in relation to the situation and not least in relation to co-responsibility for the future.
After the mediation process was completed, we had made some concrete agreements, some ground rules and the employees had seen some sides of each other that were valuable in terms of re-establishing a good working relationship"
"It has been a great help to get, and learn to use, a professional language that can be used when conflicts are building up. It has made it possible to talk about areas of conflict in a mutually beneficial and constructive way that brings us a lot more knowledge about each other and ourselves."
"It has been a great help to get, and learn to use, a professional language that can be used when conflicts are building up. It has made it possible to talk about areas of conflict in a mutually beneficial and constructive way that brings us a lot more knowledge about each other and ourselves."
"As the manager of a large organization in the elderly and care sector, some of our employees requested a course in conflict management with a focus on dealing with relatives. Over the past year, there had been increasing challenges - even clashes and conflicts - with relatives at one of our nursing homes. Therefore, we engaged the Center for Conflict Prevention to hold a theme day focusing on handling conflicts with relatives.
The theme day was very thought-provoking - it was based on the employees' responsibility for the success of the relationships and provided a number of concrete tools for successful emotional management of themselves and their relatives. In addition, the theme day included an insistent perspective on investigating what the conflicts were really about - what they arose from, and very specifically where and when they arose.
The exercises and conversations made our employees realize that the three caring wives who were the "problem" had not just ganged up and attacked all faults and non-faults in an unreasonable way, but that they were actually genuinely concerned about their spouses and that they received proper and proper treatment - e.g. that the coffee was hot, that they were looked after and changed when needed etc. In other words, perfectly reasonable demands and wishes, which we also ended up recognizing on the day. It may sound obvious, but the situation was that some of my employees had become angry with the "food ladies", as they were called, and they were therefore not seen as constructive potential partners - but as critical, unnecessary disruptions in a busy and pressured workday.
Our theme day with the Center for Conflict Prevention ended with a common recognition of the "real problem" (ourselves) and that we gained knowledge and tools to make it easier to do the right thing in a stressful situation in a very practical way. Our employees have gained more energy and energy in relation to the relatives in general and the "food ladies" in particular. At the same time, the "food ladies" have become constructive partners - which, I believe, is because we heard them and agreed with them where they were right, thus establishing a trust and respect that benefits us when we sometimes don't quite succeed as we would like in our daily practice. What used to be confrontation and conflict now becomes clarification and conversation."
"As the manager of a large organization in the elderly and care sector, some of our employees requested a course in conflict management with a focus on dealing with relatives. Over the past year, there had been increasing challenges - even clashes and conflicts - with relatives at one of our nursing homes. Therefore, we engaged the Center for Conflict Prevention to hold a theme day focusing on handling conflicts with relatives.
The theme day was very thought-provoking - it was based on the employees' responsibility for the success of the relationships and provided a number of concrete tools for successful emotional management of themselves and their relatives. In addition, the theme day included an insistent perspective on investigating what the conflicts were really about - what they arose from, and very specifically where and when they arose.
The exercises and conversations made our employees realize that the three caring wives who were the "problem" had not just ganged up and attacked all faults and non-faults in an unreasonable way, but that they were actually genuinely concerned about their spouses and that they received proper and proper treatment - e.g. that the coffee was hot, that they were looked after and changed when needed etc. In other words, perfectly reasonable demands and wishes, which we also ended up recognizing on the day. It may sound obvious, but the situation was that some of my employees had become angry with the "food ladies", as they were called, and they were therefore not seen as constructive potential partners - but as critical, unnecessary disruptions in a busy and pressured workday.
Our theme day with the Center for Conflict Prevention ended with a common recognition of the "real problem" (ourselves) and that we gained knowledge and tools to make it easier to do the right thing in a stressful situation in a very practical way. Our employees have gained more energy and energy in relation to the relatives in general and the "food ladies" in particular. At the same time, the "food ladies" have become constructive partners - which, I believe, is because we heard them and agreed with them where they were right, thus establishing a trust and respect that benefits us when we sometimes don't quite succeed as we would like in our daily practice. What used to be confrontation and conflict now becomes clarification and conversation."
"First, thank you for your help, it has really helped us create a team that knows each other and has a common standpoint and set of values.
We approached you for help with some conflicts related to Dispensing of medication. We were a new team, with new tasks, a new way of dispensing the medication, where we had more staff and thus an expected higher risk of escalated conflicts.
In particular, there were conflicts between some employees and citizens regarding refusal of medication. There were also interpersonal conflicts in relation to The meeting between citizen and employee. How should we meet a citizen. Roughly, with skepticism and distrust, or with interest and understanding. There were conflicts in relation to my way of leading, especially in relation to the fact that we work with a phrase that reads "the citizen first" Today the citizen in the center.
In working with you, we have gotten to know each other, gained an understanding of each other's views, values and professional standpoints, personal skills/resources and the challenges we each bring to the meeting with the citizen and each other.
We now have a common set of values that helps us in the meeting between ourselves, in the meeting with the citizen, and in relation to my meeting with the employees/my management of the employees.
Now we are really strong when we compare ourselves to others, we feel chosen by citizens from near and far. They express that they feel seen, heard and understood with us. It gives us faith that we are on the right track when meeting a difficult group of people. In your teaching, you have introduced us to a phrase that somehow lies deep within us, "play and care".
We translate this into that we want to meet people with respect and understanding. It also means that we are the ones who can move us, we are the mentally flexible ones, we are, so to speak, responsible for the meeting between us and the citizen going well.
What was intended as conflict management became a team development project..."
"First, thank you for your help, it has really helped us create a team that knows each other and has a common standpoint and set of values.
We approached you for help with some conflicts related to Dispensing of medication. We were a new team, with new tasks, a new way of dispensing the medication, where we had more staff and thus an expected higher risk of escalated conflicts.
In particular, there were conflicts between some employees and citizens regarding refusal of medication. There were also interpersonal conflicts in relation to The meeting between citizen and employee. How should we meet a citizen. Roughly, with skepticism and distrust, or with interest and understanding. There were conflicts in relation to my way of leading, especially in relation to the fact that we work with a phrase that reads "the citizen first" Today the citizen in the center.
In working with you, we have gotten to know each other, gained an understanding of each other's views, values and professional standpoints, personal skills/resources and the challenges we each bring to the meeting with the citizen and each other.
We now have a common set of values that helps us in the meeting between ourselves, in the meeting with the citizen, and in relation to my meeting with the employees/my management of the employees.
Now we are really strong when we compare ourselves to others, we feel chosen by citizens from near and far. They express that they feel seen, heard and understood with us. It gives us faith that we are on the right track when meeting a difficult group of people. In your teaching, you have introduced us to a phrase that somehow lies deep within us, "play and care".
We translate this into that we want to meet people with respect and understanding. It also means that we are the ones who can move us, we are the mentally flexible ones, we are, so to speak, responsible for the meeting between us and the citizen going well.
What was intended as conflict management became a team development project..."
"I want to thank you so much for all our conversations and all the knowledge you have so generously shared with me. It has helped me a lot in my work. and given me a greater understanding of our parents and students."
"I want to thank you so much for all our conversations and all the knowledge you have so generously shared with me. It has helped me a lot in my work. and given me a greater understanding of our parents and students."
"The course with CFK gave Host Nordic a new insight into how to handle and prevent conflicts in the workplace. It has been a good course that has given us some new perspectives and concrete tools - especially in relation to the working environment and the company's internal communication."
"The course with CFK gave Host Nordic a new insight into how to handle and prevent conflicts in the workplace. It has been a good course that has given us some new perspectives and concrete tools - especially in relation to the working environment and the company's internal communication."
"It was really useful for our employees to be together on the course. It gave them the opportunity to see their daily problems from different angles than their own and discuss some of the issues they encounter on a daily basis. At the same time, it gave them food for thought to look at home care from a citizen perspective. Learning about the concepts of power and territory was particularly valuable for our employees: What power do we have as home care? How does our behavior in the citizen's home affect the collaboration with citizens and relatives? Not least, we were able to focus on what issues we need to be aware of in relation to citizens' reactions in order to de-escalate or prevent conflicts."
"It was really useful for our employees to be together on the course. It gave them the opportunity to see their daily problems from different angles than their own and discuss some of the issues they encounter on a daily basis. At the same time, it gave them food for thought to look at home care from a citizen perspective. Learning about the concepts of power and territory was particularly valuable for our employees: What power do we have as home care? How does our behavior in the citizen's home affect the collaboration with citizens and relatives? Not least, we were able to focus on what issues we need to be aware of in relation to citizens' reactions in order to de-escalate or prevent conflicts."
"As a church in a multicultural community like Gellerup, there are many exciting challenges when working with people in the local community. The program with CFK gave us several good inputs in relation to the people we work with - as well as insight into the potential cultural challenges that can arise. This has helped to better equip us for future collaborative projects in the area."
"As a church in a multicultural community like Gellerup, there are many exciting challenges when working with people in the local community. The program with CFK gave us several good inputs in relation to the people we work with - as well as insight into the potential cultural challenges that can arise. This has helped to better equip us for future collaborative projects in the area."
"Initially, I was actually quite annoyed by the inspection and the whole approach to us as an organization, as I think we have a professional organization, great professionalism and very few serious conflicts, but I can see that it's not always clear from the outside what we do and why we do it - skilled employees often just act and act right, but I can see the value in us becoming more conscious and clear about our tools and procedures so we are more aware of what actually works in what we do - and of course where exactly we can improve. Greater awareness will also enable us to learn and transfer knowledge across the organization and teams, so I have actually ended up seeing it as a very positive and constructive process that is not just about making adjustments but for us is primarily about becoming more skilled and gaining a greater insight into - and overview of - our professional methods and tools that have become part of our informal professional culture but which are clearly what makes us solve our task as well as we do "
"Initially, I was actually quite annoyed by the inspection and the whole approach to us as an organization, as I think we have a professional organization, great professionalism and very few serious conflicts, but I can see that it's not always clear from the outside what we do and why we do it - skilled employees often just act and act right, but I can see the value in us becoming more conscious and clear about our tools and procedures so we are more aware of what actually works in what we do - and of course where exactly we can improve. Greater awareness will also enable us to learn and transfer knowledge across the organization and teams, so I have actually ended up seeing it as a very positive and constructive process that is not just about making adjustments but for us is primarily about becoming more skilled and gaining a greater insight into - and overview of - our professional methods and tools that have become part of our informal professional culture but which are clearly what makes us solve our task as well as we do "
"As the manager of a large organization in the elderly and care sector, some of our employees requested a course in conflict management with a focus on dealing with relatives. Over the past year, there had been increasing challenges - even clashes and conflicts - with relatives at one of our nursing homes. Therefore, we engaged the Center for Conflict Prevention to hold a theme day focusing on handling conflicts with relatives.
The theme day was very thought-provoking - it was based on the employees' responsibility for the success of the relationships and provided a number of concrete tools for successful emotional management of themselves and their relatives. In addition, the theme day included an insistent perspective on investigating what the conflicts were really about - what they arose from, and very specifically where and when they arose.
The exercises and conversations made our employees realize that the three caring wives who were the "problem" had not just ganged up and attacked all faults and non-faults in an unreasonable way, but that they were actually genuinely concerned about their spouses and that they received proper and proper treatment - e.g. that the coffee was hot, that they were looked after and changed when needed etc. In other words, perfectly reasonable demands and wishes, which we also ended up recognizing on the day. It may sound obvious, but the situation was that some of my employees had become angry with the "food ladies", as they were called, and they were therefore not seen as constructive potential partners - but as critical, unnecessary disruptions in a busy and pressured workday.
Our theme day with the Center for Conflict Prevention ended with a common recognition of the "real problem" (ourselves) and that we gained knowledge and tools to make it easier to do the right thing in a stressful situation in a very practical way. Our employees have gained more energy and energy in relation to the relatives in general and the "food ladies" in particular. At the same time, the "food ladies" have become constructive partners - which, I believe, is because we heard them and agreed with them where they were right, thus establishing a trust and respect that benefits us when we sometimes don't quite succeed as we would like in our daily practice. What used to be confrontation and conflict now becomes clarification and conversation."
"As the manager of a large organization in the elderly and care sector, some of our employees requested a course in conflict management with a focus on dealing with relatives. Over the past year, there had been increasing challenges - even clashes and conflicts - with relatives at one of our nursing homes. Therefore, we engaged the Center for Conflict Prevention to hold a theme day focusing on handling conflicts with relatives.
The theme day was very thought-provoking - it was based on the employees' responsibility for the success of the relationships and provided a number of concrete tools for successful emotional management of themselves and their relatives. In addition, the theme day included an insistent perspective on investigating what the conflicts were really about - what they arose from, and very specifically where and when they arose.
The exercises and conversations made our employees realize that the three caring wives who were the "problem" had not just ganged up and attacked all faults and non-faults in an unreasonable way, but that they were actually genuinely concerned about their spouses and that they received proper and proper treatment - e.g. that the coffee was hot, that they were looked after and changed when needed etc. In other words, perfectly reasonable demands and wishes, which we also ended up recognizing on the day. It may sound obvious, but the situation was that some of my employees had become angry with the "food ladies", as they were called, and they were therefore not seen as constructive potential partners - but as critical, unnecessary disruptions in a busy and pressured workday.
Our theme day with the Center for Conflict Prevention ended with a common recognition of the "real problem" (ourselves) and that we gained knowledge and tools to make it easier to do the right thing in a stressful situation in a very practical way. Our employees have gained more energy and energy in relation to the relatives in general and the "food ladies" in particular. At the same time, the "food ladies" have become constructive partners - which, I believe, is because we heard them and agreed with them where they were right, thus establishing a trust and respect that benefits us when we sometimes don't quite succeed as we would like in our daily practice. What used to be confrontation and conflict now becomes clarification and conversation."
"Socialcenter København has enjoyed working with CFK on training in conflict mediation and conflict prevention and developing methods for working in vulnerable housing areas. In the collaboration process, they showed great commitment to understanding the needs of our organization. There was constructive and ongoing sparring and feedback on courses and development projects, and they delivered challenging, interdisciplinary training. Socialcenter København is therefore very satisfied with the collaboration with CFK, the quality of the delivery and the hard work the center puts into the task."
"Socialcenter København has enjoyed working with CFK on training in conflict mediation and conflict prevention and developing methods for working in vulnerable housing areas. In the collaboration process, they showed great commitment to understanding the needs of our organization. There was constructive and ongoing sparring and feedback on courses and development projects, and they delivered challenging, interdisciplinary training. Socialcenter København is therefore very satisfied with the collaboration with CFK, the quality of the delivery and the hard work the center puts into the task."
"The course with CFK was very satisfying - both from a management and employee perspective. Our organization was read well, and after just one day we got some tools that we could implement and use immediately in terms of conflict prevention. The format was good and very personal, and it was great to gain new insights into our main issues. our main issues. We would gladly recommend a course with CFK to other organizations in terms of conflict prevention."
"The course with CFK was very satisfying - both from a management and employee perspective. Our organization was read well, and after just one day we got some tools that we could implement and use immediately in terms of conflict prevention. The format was good and very personal, and it was great to gain new insights into our main issues. our main issues. We would gladly recommend a course with CFK to other organizations in terms of conflict prevention."
"Jon has, on the basis of cases and interviews, managed to start from the specialist consultants' specific issues, which has been extremely rewarding. This has helped us to apply the acquired knowledge in our own practice. Jon has managed to provide concrete and solution-oriented sparring on the specific tasks described to him in the form of cases, and has managed to enrich us with strategies we can use when we have to help solve a conflict again. In connection with the course, we have gained new theories, so we have been able to approach a task in a more nuanced and reflective way.
Jon has been listening, acknowledging and showing the way in terms of how to solve a problem. He has created a safe environment, which has meant that the participants have dared to bring their own challenges into play. Jon is able to take different perspectives on a problem without becoming part of it himself. We have been very pleased with the above-mentioned course and hope that we can find areas of cooperation in the future in order to work with cultural change in the public sector."
"Jon has, on the basis of cases and interviews, managed to start from the specialist consultants' specific issues, which has been extremely rewarding. This has helped us to apply the acquired knowledge in our own practice. Jon has managed to provide concrete and solution-oriented sparring on the specific tasks described to him in the form of cases, and has managed to enrich us with strategies we can use when we have to help solve a conflict again. In connection with the course, we have gained new theories, so we have been able to approach a task in a more nuanced and reflective way.
Jon has been listening, acknowledging and showing the way in terms of how to solve a problem. He has created a safe environment, which has meant that the participants have dared to bring their own challenges into play. Jon is able to take different perspectives on a problem without becoming part of it himself. We have been very pleased with the above-mentioned course and hope that we can find areas of cooperation in the future in order to work with cultural change in the public sector."
"We've been really happy with the process - not least the last two days, where we had the opportunity to meet physically and where there were good opportunities for dialog, both between you and the employees, and not least among the employees. I feel that a lot of thoughts and reflections have been initiated, and I have a very firm belief that your input to us may have made a difference in the approach to the citizen meetings, so that the level of conflict can be reduced. I have received nothing but positive feedback from my employees about the program with you, so thank you for three inspiring days."
"We've been really happy with the process - not least the last two days, where we had the opportunity to meet physically and where there were good opportunities for dialog, both between you and the employees, and not least among the employees. I feel that a lot of thoughts and reflections have been initiated, and I have a very firm belief that your input to us may have made a difference in the approach to the citizen meetings, so that the level of conflict can be reduced. I have received nothing but positive feedback from my employees about the program with you, so thank you for three inspiring days."
"Thank you for a powerful theme day that has provided relevant development for the entire department"
"Thank you for a powerful theme day that has provided relevant development for the entire department"
"As an experienced 360 degree turnaround leader, even with the strongest inner ethical compass, I can also be knocked off course by violent storms and bottomless waters. Jon manages time and time again to stand with incredible calm and precision where the compass just spins around, and by his calm red/blue/green balance guide me in the direction that both makes sense for me and not least for my employees"
"As an experienced 360 degree turnaround leader, even with the strongest inner ethical compass, I can also be knocked off course by violent storms and bottomless waters. Jon manages time and time again to stand with incredible calm and precision where the compass just spins around, and by his calm red/blue/green balance guide me in the direction that both makes sense for me and not least for my employees"
"As the manager of a citizen service with several departments in a large municipality, I had spent about a year trying to resolve some strong collegial conflicts that, from my perspective, were about individual employees having very rough and unpolished communication both in relation to colleagues and in several cases also in relation to citizens.
I noticed statements like: "I say whatever the hell I want" or "it's not legal to have a different opinion" and "it's not right that management should decide how I speak" etc. What was difficult for me as a manager was that I never experienced concrete incidents myself, but only occasionally overheard such expressions of opinion.
The few employees who confided in me did not want to come forward because they were afraid of the behavior they would risk being exposed to.
As there had been two sick leaves that were informally a direct consequence of this "invisible" negative behavior, and at the same time we got a really bad well-being measurement, I contacted the Center for Conflict Prevention to see if it was something they knew about and had experience with.
The result was that the employees were interviewed individually as part of the preparation for a theme day. In this way, the diagnosis was made already at the beginning of the theme day, and we could work with a framework for behavior and communication that was clear and common, and which I, as a manager, made clear would apply in the future. We agreed on how we would ensure that violations of the common agreements would be reported and acted upon in the future.
My feeling on the day and on the subsequent feedback from the employees was a great relief, both that everything was now visible and concrete - but also that we had been given concrete tools and an objective framework of understanding in relation to acceptable communication and behavior.
A week later, I received a sick note from one of the two employees who were primary exponents of the behavior and communication that we had decided to leave behind. Two weeks later, I received a resignation from the other.
I know that my employees have subsequently become happier and friendlier in their dealings with each other and with the citizens - even the citizens who are more difficult than others. And I'm actually quite sure that the two employees who ended up not being with us anymore are in a much better place that suits them and their wants and needs. Sometimes I think it's caring - for everyone - to draw a line in the sand before things get too far out of hand. In hindsight, I should have acted earlier and asked for help - that's probably my biggest lesson learned as a leader in a politically driven public organization."
"As the manager of a citizen service with several departments in a large municipality, I had spent about a year trying to resolve some strong collegial conflicts that, from my perspective, were about individual employees having very rough and unpolished communication both in relation to colleagues and in several cases also in relation to citizens.
I noticed statements like: "I say whatever the hell I want" or "it's not legal to have a different opinion" and "it's not right that management should decide how I speak" etc. What was difficult for me as a manager was that I never experienced concrete incidents myself, but only occasionally overheard such expressions of opinion.
The few employees who confided in me did not want to come forward because they were afraid of the behavior they would risk being exposed to.
As there had been two sick leaves that were informally a direct consequence of this "invisible" negative behavior, and at the same time we got a really bad well-being measurement, I contacted the Center for Conflict Prevention to see if it was something they knew about and had experience with.
The result was that the employees were interviewed individually as part of the preparation for a theme day. In this way, the diagnosis was made already at the beginning of the theme day, and we could work with a framework for behavior and communication that was clear and common, and which I, as a manager, made clear would apply in the future. We agreed on how we would ensure that violations of the common agreements would be reported and acted upon in the future.
My feeling on the day and on the subsequent feedback from the employees was a great relief, both that everything was now visible and concrete - but also that we had been given concrete tools and an objective framework of understanding in relation to acceptable communication and behavior.
A week later, I received a sick note from one of the two employees who were primary exponents of the behavior and communication that we had decided to leave behind. Two weeks later, I received a resignation from the other.
I know that my employees have subsequently become happier and friendlier in their dealings with each other and with the citizens - even the citizens who are more difficult than others. And I'm actually quite sure that the two employees who ended up not being with us anymore are in a much better place that suits them and their wants and needs. Sometimes I think it's caring - for everyone - to draw a line in the sand before things get too far out of hand. In hindsight, I should have acted earlier and asked for help - that's probably my biggest lesson learned as a leader in a politically driven public organization."
I was promoted to manager of a department with 55 employees. It became clear that one of the very experienced employees in particular had felt overlooked and had for a long time made negative comments about my promotion and questioned the objectivity and reasonableness of the promotion, for example when the employees met for social gatherings. The employee in question was a fairly strong informal leader that most people did not want to cross. A few employees who supported my leadership in practice were frozen out, and one felt downright bullied.
I agreed with my consultant that there was a need to investigate what it would take to move forward constructively. The result was a short report with a clear analysis, clear recommendations and a concrete proposal for handling and process.
Based on that, I was able to go to my deputy director and get support for the roadmap that I and my team leaders could then implement ourselves. In this way, it was great to get exactly the help we needed to take over and get ourselves in place.
I was promoted to manager of a department with 55 employees. It became clear that one of the very experienced employees in particular had felt overlooked and had for a long time made negative comments about my promotion and questioned the objectivity and reasonableness of the promotion, for example when the employees met for social gatherings. The employee in question was a fairly strong informal leader that most people did not want to cross. A few employees who supported my leadership in practice were frozen out, and one felt downright bullied.
I agreed with my consultant that there was a need to investigate what it would take to move forward constructively. The result was a short report with a clear analysis, clear recommendations and a concrete proposal for handling and process.
Based on that, I was able to go to my deputy director and get support for the roadmap that I and my team leaders could then implement ourselves. In this way, it was great to get exactly the help we needed to take over and get ourselves in place.
The program has been extremely rewarding both from a personal leadership development perspective and from a team development perspective. Combining theory and practice has given me a good foundation as a leader to develop myself and my team. The theory has given me clarity about how we as humans react in different ways in stressful situations, how I as a leader can deal with my employees' differences and why it is important that I as a leader act from a certain perspective or with a certain focus in mind. At the same time, the practical approach of the program has allowed me to learn from real-life issues and quickly create concrete changes and results for my team. The team has been co-responsible and a driving force in the dialogs that have taken place and in the agreements that have been made. The program has thus created a trust-based space in the team and given my employees relevant and useful tools that ensure that the implemented changes are still present and can be further developed; even after the end of the program.
In summary, the program has changed the team culture in my team significantly. There is now a more open, transparent and trust-based dialog both between me and my employees and within the team. In addition, the program has made me more confident in my leadership role. I have gained concrete tools that enable me to support a good work culture, handle daily management challenges and set boundaries with my employees. The changes and the new tools have also made me more reflective about how I want to be as a leader, how I want to approach major changes and what skills and knowledge I can contribute to my own management team.
I chose to use the program as a golden opportunity to acquire new knowledge and learning and see it as a positive and good experience, even though the program had started because of a bad APV. As a result, I now look back on this program as one of the best leadership experiences I have had and one of the most rewarding leadership development programs I have gone through. Because the program takes place in "real time" with supervision and with real problems, I have been able to safely practice with 1:1 change proposals from my consultant, Jon, who has also been able to give me continuous feedback. This has meant that I have quickly created results for the team and that my team members have also been able to change and develop into a dialog-seeking and trust-based team. We have gone from being "team Frustrated" to being "team Fanstastic".
The program has been extremely rewarding both from a personal leadership development perspective and from a team development perspective. Combining theory and practice has given me a good foundation as a leader to develop myself and my team. The theory has given me clarity about how we as humans react in different ways in stressful situations, how I as a leader can deal with my employees' differences and why it is important that I as a leader act from a certain perspective or with a certain focus in mind. At the same time, the practical approach of the program has allowed me to learn from real-life issues and quickly create concrete changes and results for my team. The team has been co-responsible and a driving force in the dialogs that have taken place and in the agreements that have been made. The program has thus created a trust-based space in the team and given my employees relevant and useful tools that ensure that the implemented changes are still present and can be further developed; even after the end of the program.
In summary, the program has changed the team culture in my team significantly. There is now a more open, transparent and trust-based dialog both between me and my employees and within the team. In addition, the program has made me more confident in my leadership role. I have gained concrete tools that enable me to support a good work culture, handle daily management challenges and set boundaries with my employees. The changes and the new tools have also made me more reflective about how I want to be as a leader, how I want to approach major changes and what skills and knowledge I can contribute to my own management team.
I chose to use the program as a golden opportunity to acquire new knowledge and learning and see it as a positive and good experience, even though the program had started because of a bad APV. As a result, I now look back on this program as one of the best leadership experiences I have had and one of the most rewarding leadership development programs I have gone through. Because the program takes place in "real time" with supervision and with real problems, I have been able to safely practice with 1:1 change proposals from my consultant, Jon, who has also been able to give me continuous feedback. This has meant that I have quickly created results for the team and that my team members have also been able to change and develop into a dialog-seeking and trust-based team. We have gone from being "team Frustrated" to being "team Fanstastic".
"I was hired as CEO of a small but highly specialized company that needed to turn around after a disappointing result. The turn-around process I initiated optimized production, efficiency and quality of output and after 2 years we were above target - in other words, things were going really well!
But I also realized that one female and one male manager in particular often "clashed" at my management team meetings, and the female manager in particular was increasingly expressing her unhappiness. I hadn't really noticed that there was anything special at stake in our management team - I had just thought that "he's just a bit blunt in his style", but didn't mean anything by it, and for the female manager, I must admit that I probably thought she was just a "slightly sensitive nature" who could take things a bit too personally.
The female manager then goes on short-term sick leave with stress, and when she comes back, it is clear to everyone that there is a problem between the two - now not just in meetings, but clashes where there is a bad atmosphere - also at social events etc. So it became clear to me that it was a problem for the organization, for the development and for the well-being of the manager in question.
After some reflection, I realized that my attention had been fully focused on the formal and measurable turn-around process, but that there were "skeletons in the closet" from earlier, and that we had simply never really talked in the management team about our internal communication, behavior and collaboration in this regard.
I decided to look for an expert who could provide an objective perspective on the situation and help us get settled in a way that would allow us to quickly take over and drive the process forward. I ended up partnering with the Center for Conflict Prevention.
What struck me most in the beginning was how quickly we were read and how quickly we focused on what was important. At the same time, a safe and completely confidential space was established for me as director and for the managers who were interviewed for the decision-making basis that I was to receive in order to get an overview and insight into what the conflicts were really about and what could be done most effectively to make change quickly.
The biggest eye-opener was that what looked like a personal conflict was actually an organizational dilemma regarding the balance between efficiency, strategy and change on the one hand and balance, well-being and work environment on the other. The two managers were in fact representatives of this dilemma - standard-bearers for each their own theme - and I had not seen this and had not taken responsibility for it before. My attention had been on development and results.
With the help of the Center for Conflict Prevention, we solved our primary challenges over a period of two months. I gained insight, an overview, a strategy and a roadmap for well-being, communication and collaboration, while myself and my managers were given the opportunity for individual interviews and joint conversations between myself and the two managers who had developed a personal conflict. The result was surprising to me - it worked, and the personal conflict was replaced by a common understanding of what it was really about. In addition, we were able to forgive each other and move forward together based on a new awareness and a method for having real and conscious control of our management team going forward.
As a CEO with a vision to become even bigger, even more efficient and create even greater results, it's been crucial not to have "stumbling blocks" or "grit in the machinery", bad atmosphere and lack of trust in my management team - I'm absolutely certain that this is a prerequisite for the organization to "run with it" and that the leaders can really give everything they have - individually and together."
"I was hired as CEO of a small but highly specialized company that needed to turn around after a disappointing result. The turn-around process I initiated optimized production, efficiency and quality of output and after 2 years we were above target - in other words, things were going really well!
But I also realized that one female and one male manager in particular often "clashed" at my management team meetings, and the female manager in particular was increasingly expressing her unhappiness. I hadn't really noticed that there was anything special at stake in our management team - I had just thought that "he's just a bit blunt in his style", but didn't mean anything by it, and for the female manager, I must admit that I probably thought she was just a "slightly sensitive nature" who could take things a bit too personally.
The female manager then goes on short-term sick leave with stress, and when she comes back, it is clear to everyone that there is a problem between the two - now not just in meetings, but clashes where there is a bad atmosphere - also at social events etc. So it became clear to me that it was a problem for the organization, for the development and for the well-being of the manager in question.
After some reflection, I realized that my attention had been fully focused on the formal and measurable turn-around process, but that there were "skeletons in the closet" from earlier, and that we had simply never really talked in the management team about our internal communication, behavior and collaboration in this regard.
I decided to look for an expert who could provide an objective perspective on the situation and help us get settled in a way that would allow us to quickly take over and drive the process forward. I ended up partnering with the Center for Conflict Prevention.
What struck me most in the beginning was how quickly we were read and how quickly we focused on what was important. At the same time, a safe and completely confidential space was established for me as director and for the managers who were interviewed for the decision-making basis that I was to receive in order to get an overview and insight into what the conflicts were really about and what could be done most effectively to make change quickly.
The biggest eye-opener was that what looked like a personal conflict was actually an organizational dilemma regarding the balance between efficiency, strategy and change on the one hand and balance, well-being and work environment on the other. The two managers were in fact representatives of this dilemma - standard-bearers for each their own theme - and I had not seen this and had not taken responsibility for it before. My attention had been on development and results.
With the help of the Center for Conflict Prevention, we solved our primary challenges over a period of two months. I gained insight, an overview, a strategy and a roadmap for well-being, communication and collaboration, while myself and my managers were given the opportunity for individual interviews and joint conversations between myself and the two managers who had developed a personal conflict. The result was surprising to me - it worked, and the personal conflict was replaced by a common understanding of what it was really about. In addition, we were able to forgive each other and move forward together based on a new awareness and a method for having real and conscious control of our management team going forward.
As a CEO with a vision to become even bigger, even more efficient and create even greater results, it's been crucial not to have "stumbling blocks" or "grit in the machinery", bad atmosphere and lack of trust in my management team - I'm absolutely certain that this is a prerequisite for the organization to "run with it" and that the leaders can really give everything they have - individually and together."
