IWD2021 launched an invitation for you to #ChooseToChallenge. I trust you have started on that journey and are learning new ways to progress through this invitation.
Most often, challenge leads to a situation of conflict - either within your self, or with others.
My eBook guide on how you can #ChooseToChallenge provides you with concrete strategies to transform any conflict situation into a powerful tool of creativity. In this blog, I share one chapter from the eBook that talks you through how shifting your energy can transform how you relate to the challenge so that you can tackle any situation with courage and confidence.
Conflict can create a lot of energy.
Whether this energy causes a disintegration of communication or is channelled constructively is completely within your control - by your response.
Just as the martial art of Aikido has techniques to merge with the energy of the aggressor to flip it into something new, so does your response to conflict.
Let’s take a moment to connect with your conflict energy
Think of the most challenging situation you are facing at work right now…or that you have had to face recently if you don’t have a current situation. Now visualise that scenario from just before the conflict happened to about 30 seconds after. What thoughts did you have? How did you react? How did it make you feel? Where did you have that feeling? Which of the following images best reflect your reaction?
How does that behaviour make you feel…how would you describe the energy inside you when you respond in this way?
Conflict Aikido Energy is about disrupting our normal patterns to shift the energy of challenge to achieve more satisfactory outcomes.
What is your automatic conflict energy? Are you more assertive or cooperative? Where do you fit in the Conflict Aikido – Tool 2? Where does your adversary sit?
The art of Conflict Aikido Energy is to match the energy of your adversary by choosing a complementary energy that will dilute the conflict situation rather than be driven by your automatic conflict energy that may amplify the conflict.
With your conflict situation, reflect on what it would be like if you used a different conflict energy than sticking with your automatic conflict energy…which would you choose?
When you next #ChooseToChallenge in a conflict situation you might like to test out an alternative conflict energy.
Choosing to Challenge takes a lot of courage and confidence. Here are two resources that will assist you in moving forward:
- How to Deal with Challenging Situations eBook: Please email: equitychampions@belongingpioneers.com if you would like a copy.
- If you are dealing with a concern that you are still not good enough, you might like to take a look at: https://ishreenbradley.com/know-your-value/
I would love to hear from you about how all this goes…and (of course) the results you produce by applying our Conflict Aikido Tools.