Workplace Conflict Resolution: Laura Terrell On How Team Leaders Can Create The Right Environment To Resolve Conflicts
An Interview With Eric Pines
Make sure you understand what the conflict really is about.
An important component of leadership is conflict resolution. Why is conflict resolution so important? How can leaders effectively incorporate conflict resolution into their work culture? In this interview series called “Workplace Conflict Resolution: How Team Leaders Can Create The Right Environment To Resolve Conflicts,” we are talking to business leaders who can share insights and anecdotes from their experience about how to implement Conflict Resolution at work. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Laura Terrell.
Laura Terrell is an executive coach with over twenty-five years of experience as a legal and business leader.
Prior to coaching, she was a Special Assistant to the President at the White House, a senior-level appointee at the U.S. Department of Justice, an equity partner in two large, global law firms, and in-house counsel at a publicly traded company.
Laura has also led and managed teams of people across multiple countries, serving as a top advisor to many Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 companies.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
I’m an attorney who has been an equity partner in two of the world’s largest law firms, in-house for both public and private companies, and a trusted advisor and counsel at the White House and the U.S. Department of Justice. I’m now an executive coach working with ambitious attorneys and other professionals who want to achieve success in their work life. Shifting my career to executive coaching was driven by my desire to find ways to connect with people struggling with some of the issues that I have seen in the professional world, many of which I’ve encountered myself. I enjoy supporting and cheering my clients on as they work towards their professional goals, along the way helping them devise practical strategies and steps that can help them succeed.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
I’ve been fortunate to work in some amazing places and with some incredible people, doing work that helped me grow and develop as an attorney and business advisor in so many ways. But one of the most interesting moments happened unexpectedly when I was working as a lawyer at the White House. I was rushing around and nearly crashed into a visitor who was coming up a set of stairs as I was going down. A very calm and quiet man helped me retrieve a bunch of papers I had dropped at that moment, and then took the opportunity to introduce himself, saying with a smile: “How are you? I’m Bono. Who are you?” I am a huge fan of his and I honestly don’t remember if I managed to say anything but my name and “nice to meet you” to the frontman of U2, but I remain completely gobsmacked by the experience. He was kind and polite — something that isn’t always the case with celebrities or politicians, so I’ll always remember that encounter.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?
Winston Churchill said, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” I try to remember that phrase when I’m up against something that seems like a steep challenge. There have been many times in my career when I had to learn a new area of law, adapt to a challenging work environment, recover from a setback, or take a risk on something unfamiliar to me. But I also enjoy jumping in with both feet to embrace those hurdles and find the opportunity in them. Early in my legal career, I was arguing my first motion in court, in a very difficult matter where my client, the U.S. government, did not expect to prevail. I figured I had been designated to handle the argument because we knew we were unlikely to succeed with it, and I was right. And so I recall the judge listening to my arguments with skepticism, but I was determined to push through. I was subjected to some blistering questions, and our motion was denied. But it was a great experience to start with a hard case, and it made the hard ones after that easier.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
Because I’ve been there myself in many instances, I understand many of the questions, frustrations and issues with which my clients are grappling. I have worked in the public sector, as both a civil service and a political appointee; been a policy, legal and business advisor; built a business and managed a large number of people in big law firms; and worked with a non-profit working to grow and scale. So I’m not just talking about issues that I understand in the abstract, but drawing on my experience in situations that I’ve personally encountered. As a result, clients value my expertise and feel comfortable discussing some of their biggest fears or concerns with me. One of my coaching clients told me that she felt very alone in trying to navigate the path to partnership at her law firm, but that she knew that I would support her along the way, and that this made her feel less isolated. She appreciated that I didn’t dismiss her concerns, and that we shared an understanding of them. I believe that my work stands out because my clients trust me and know that I really care about them. Their success is something I love to celebrate.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
I focus on being dedicated to my clients, being willing to take on new challenges, and not losing sight of the need for constant learning and education. When your clients or customers bring new or unfamiliar issues to you, if you’re willing to engage with them and commit to doing more to educate yourself, you can learn a ton that helps you grow your own capabilities. Working as the general counsel for a non-profit definitely ensures that I apply my legal skills in a wide variety of ways, as I need to assess and triage a lot of things that come my way. For example, while I’m not a patent or trademark lawyer, I’ve recently spent a fair amount of time working with issues in that area for my client. Engaging the right outside counsel to assist us in that regard definitely has helped educate me. It’s also given me some insight into other matters that the organization is focused on, and how I can help with strategy and counsel there as well.
Leadership often entails making difficult decisions or hard choices between two apparently good paths. Can you share a story about a hard decision or choice you had to make as a leader?
At one point in my career, I was offered a new role which was interesting but quite distinct from the job in which I had been working for several years. I felt very engaged in my current role, enjoyed the talented team I worked with, and believed I was starting to hit my stride there as a leader. The new role, however, was one which was very important to the organization, and which could also provide me with new opportunities for growth, and potentially to have a greater impact. I considered what I might gain or lose by taking on the new role, and ultimately decided to accept it. I appreciated tremendously my existing team and the successes we had achieved together. But the new offer came from someone whose work style and leadership I really valued as well, and who I thought I could learn from in multiple ways that weren’t already available to me. Working with them became one of the highlights of my career, and a critical experience in taking my own leadership to the next level. The new role ended up being a lot harder than I had anticipated, but I’m still glad that I made the choice that I did. Working with people that challenge you and show you how to strengthen and grow can be a great career move.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Let’s start with a basic definition so that all of us are on the same page. What does Conflict Resolution mean?
Conflict resolution is about finding ways to address a disagreement, dispute or clash between differing positions.
What are some common misunderstandings about Conflict Resolution that are important to clear up?
First, conflict resolution doesn’t always involve an adversarial process. In many instances, the parties to the conflict may have a similar view as to what they think should occur or how a matter should be resolved — but they might differ about how they get to that point, what steps should be taken, by whom, and when. For example, you and your partner both want to win your case at trial, but you could have very different views of the best strategy to do that. Working through your contrasting opinions as to what is most likely to get you to that win doesn’t require you to work against each other. Instead, you’re working from a shared goal. Second, conflict resolution doesn’t have to involve someone being the “winner” and someone being the “loser” in the dispute. A lot of conflicts are not purely binary, but involve looking at multidimensional issues where there are ways to devise solutions that enable both parties to walk away with something that they want.
This might be intuitive to you, but it will be helpful to clearly express this. Can you please explain why it is so important for leaders to learn and deploy conflict resolution techniques?
When leaders think of conflict resolution, they often focus on the “conflict” part and dread having to engage in a battle, clash, or struggle. They anticipate that getting involved may drain their energy and enthusiasm for their work. But if leaders take the time to help with conflict resolution, they can equip their teams to not only resolve conflicts more smoothly but also to find ways to avert potential disputes before they arise.
On the flip side, what happens to a work culture when there is not an effective way of resolving conflict? How does it impact employees?
I’ve seen work cultures where conflicts are not well resolved or addressed, and it leads to a substantial loss of trust by employees. If you see that leadership is not addressing tough issues, but instead letting them go unresolved, you’re probably also seeing a lack of ability to move forward and meet organizational goals. When professionals see that conflicts are left to fester or deepen, their confidence in leadership weakens. They often start to look for employment elsewhere, because they see management failing to support them.
Can you provide examples of how effective conflict resolution has led to increased team performance, collaboration, or innovation within your organization?
A prior organization I worked with had strong leadership that was deeply committed to confronting conflicts and finding ways to resolve them. When there was a dispute between teams or divergent views on how to execute our strategic plan, the leaders were quick to bring the differing parties together and engage them in person. They asked them to outline their views, and then posed questions to try to identify how the conflict might be resolved. In addition, they often asked the professionals involved to spend some time thinking about alternatives, and to discuss with each other what some solutions might be. Our leaders were willing to make decisions to resolve the conflict, but first they asked the people involved to come back with some different ideas and approaches. In large part, this led to people in the organization being empowered to work together to address conflicts, and greater collaboration on issues before they rose to the C-suite. They also learned from the leadership’s approach that management deeply respected different opinions and wanted to ensure that everyone had a voice in addressing conflicts. On the occasions when a decision had to be made that left some people disappointed, they still came away from the process feeling that they had been heard and valued.
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “Five Ways Every Team Leader Can Create The Right Environment To Resolve Conflicts”? If you can, please share specific examples of a workplace conflict you’ve encountered, and how you applied conflict resolution techniques to address it.
1 . Value and treat your team with fairness and respect — I’ve worked with a lot of large teams that are executing complex projects, including across geographies and widely variant ways of working. Sometimes in that environment, conflicts can deepen and people can feel that they can’t get either the leader or their colleagues to listen to them. When that happens, I’ve found it incredibly helpful to talk with people individually to assure them that I want to hear from them and understand their concerns. But I also then ask them to come together so that we can all try to find solutions jointly. If everyone on the team sees that they get the same attention and time, they respect that and feel more equal in the process. In turn, they are more likely when we come together to extend that respect and courtesy to others.
2 . Make sure you understand what the conflict really is about — Sometimes the issues that are identified are unclear, or vary depending on who is describing them. That can suggest that the conflict may not be what it appears. For example, a relatively junior lawyer in this situation once told me that they weren’t interested in staying on a team because they didn’t like the work being assigned to them. When we spoke about the young attorney’s concerns, it became clear that they did not really want to leave the team. The real issues were the lack of transparency about when they would get additional, more senior opportunities and frustration with never knowing when they would come. The attorney saw other teams that were providing those opportunities and worried they were falling behind by being part of our team. We had not communicated well about the different stages of the work, including that the lawyer in question was doing work now that was an important foundation for them to take on the kinds of responsibilities they were seeking in the next phase of the matter which was quickly approaching. Once we understood the real concerns, we were in a better position to address them.
3 . Work to identify common goals — Two of my direct reports were once at odds with each other over which candidate to hire for a newly created role. Each of these leaders had good arguments for their respective favored candidates, one who had more experience overall in the industry and one who brought skills more directly related to the role but had never worked in the industry. I asked the leaders to see if they could identify what they both agreed upon as the most critical aspects of the job position, and how that measured up against the two candidates. They considered and were finally able to come back in alignment on a few key job requirements, including a specific technical capability that we currently lacked on the team. Both leaders felt strongly that this skill was their highest priority in a candidate, and ultimately agreed that the job applicant with that skill was the right one for the job, regardless of industry experience.
4 . Understand the facts and avoid assumptions — You may think that you know what the issues are, and how the parties view them, but it’s important to make sure you have the correct information. For example, when you appear as a lawyer in court on behalf of a client, and are working to make sure you marshall the best arguments in their favor, you better make sure you really understand the facts of the case. Judges are keen to probe those arguments, and often seek to find out if the parties can find another path to resolve their dispute. Making sure you are fully aware of the facts, as well as any recent developments for your client that might change how a matter could be addressed, is critical. You need to be prepared to address any questions from the judge that might reflect how they view the dispute differently, or need more information to help them make a decision. Decisionmakers benefit from having the right information, and the people coming to them being able to present it clearly and accurately.
5 . Take more time or a break when it’s needed — At many times, late at night or when there is an urgent deadline on another matter, I’ve had a colleague call me with a conflict that they are anxious to resolve immediately. When that happens, I’ve learned to ask: “is this something we need to resolve now?” Trying to address complex issues when you’re under pressure or have limited time to analyze how to proceed can result in less-than-ideal results. If the matter can wait, even overnight, it’s better to address it when you can be focused and fully engaged.
In your experience, what are the most common sources of conflict within a team, and how do you proactively address these potential issues before they escalate?
Miscommunications, misunderstandings, and lack of communication are all huge contributors to conflicts. This is why I encourage professionals to talk in person, face-to-face, or via videoconference if they can to discuss what is going on and how they can address it. Emails and text messages can be misconstrued. Information communicated second- or third-hand is subject to someone else’s interpretation or perspective, and often lacks critical facts. Therefore, it’s really important to carve out time to talk directly with the people you need to engage with to avert or resolve a conflict.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I would really like to see people rely less on electronic devices and more on connecting directly. Technology is wonderful for many things, including improving our ability to work remotely and increasing our access to information. But it can also get in the way of finding ways to connect and learn meaningfully from others. Putting down your phone to take a break from screen time is always a good idea.
How can our readers further follow you online?
You can find out more about me and my coaching practice at www.lauraterrell.com, or reach out to me via LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/lauralterrell) or email (laura@lauraterrell.com)
Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
About the Interviewer: Eric L. Pines is a nationally recognized federal employment lawyer, mediator, and attorney business coach. He represents federal employees and acts as in-house counsel for over fifty thousand federal employees through his work as a federal employee labor union representative. A formal federal employee himself, Mr. Pines began his federal employment law career as in-house counsel for AFGE Local 1923 which is in Social Security Administration’s headquarters and is the largest federal union local in the world. He presently serves as AFGE 1923’s Chief Counsel as well as in-house counsel for all FEMA bargaining unit employees and numerous Department of Defense and Veteran Affairs unions.
While he and his firm specialize in representing federal employees from all federal agencies and in reference to virtually all federal employee matters, his firm has placed special attention on representing Veteran Affairs doctors and nurses hired under the authority of Title. He and his firm have a particular passion in representing disabled federal employees with their requests for medical and religious reasonable accommodations when those accommodations are warranted under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (ADA). He also represents them with their requests for Federal Employee Disability Retirement (OPM) when an accommodation would not be possible.
Mr. Pines has also served as a mediator for numerous federal agencies including serving a year as the Library of Congress’ in-house EEO Mediator. He has also served as an expert witness in federal court for federal employee matters. He has also worked as an EEO technical writer drafting hundreds of Final Agency Decisions for the federal sector.
Mr. Pines’ firm is headquartered in Houston, Texas and has offices in Baltimore, Maryland and Atlanta, Georgia. His first passion is his wife and five children. He plays classical and rock guitar and enjoys playing ice hockey, running, and biking. Please visit his websites at www.pinesfederal.com and www.toughinjurylawyers.com. He can also be reached at eric@pinesfederal.com.
Workplace Conflict Resolution: Laura Terrell On How Team Leaders Can Create The Right Environment… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.