“Working with Eric was a pleasure. We developed a good rapport and established a level of honesty and trust. I valued his counsel and recommendations. I find Eric to be very competent in a variety of disciplines. He is able to correctly diagnose organizational problems and suggest solutions that are on point. I found Eric to be a professional with the highest levels of honesty, integrity, and ethical behavior. I would not hesitate to engage his services again in the future.”
Kathy Lueckert,
former Corporate Services Director,
Department of Planning and Development,
City of Seattle
(Kathy is now Director of Planning and Finance for Advocacy and Communications at World Vision.)
“I've worked closely with Eric on developing and presenting the Leadership Eastside community leadership program. He has that rare blend of extensive real-world experience along with a very strong background in theory and research. He moves easily between big picture strategy and the tactical details. Eric brings a superb ability to plan, execute and follow-through, both as a behind-the-scenes planner and as an upfront instructor and facilitator.”
Annalee Luhman,
founding board member,
Leadership Eastside
Conflict and change: The blog
3 June 2010
Working hard to stay in conflict
What’s the most surprising thing about working on resolving conflict? That was the question put to me by a graduate student interviewing me about my work. It was an easy question to answer: I am surprised at how hard people in conflict work to maintain it.
When relationships get tense and conflict flares, we stop talking with each other, which dramatically reduces the chance that a misunderstanding is resolved. We start fortifying our stories about how bad the other people are, how malignant their intentions are, and how unwilling they are to work together. These fortifications raise the barriers between us, making harder for even us to climb over our own constructions.
I mentioned this dynamic the other day to a client who is locked in conflict. He simply nodded in recognition. When people are stuck in conflict, there is always something they are actively doing to stay stuck. Owning up to your contribution to the problem is the first step toward resolving the conflict and moving on.
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