Management Development Unlocked - Management & Leadership Training

Constructive Disagreement with Ashley Virtue

Mar 4, 2025

Ashley Virtue from the National Conflict Resolution Center joins to share her expertise in resolving workplace conflicts. She highlights the urgency of fostering constructive dialogue, especially in today's divisive climate. Ashley discusses effective strategies for leaders, emphasizing empathetic communication and the importance of feeling heard. She reveals a three-step approach to handle disagreements respectfully: demonstrate understanding, acknowledge impact, and identify underlying needs. Her insights aim to equip teams with the tools needed for healthier interactions.

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Intro

00:00 • 3min

Navigating Disagreement in Divisive Times

02:49 • 19min

Navigating Conflict and Finding Common Ground

21:26 • 3min

Work as Self-Care: A Dive into Relaxation

23:58 • 2min

Navigating Workplace Conflicts

26:01 • 5min

Fostering Empathy and Constructive Conflict in Management

31:24 • 2min

On this episode of Management Development Unlocked, Eric sits down with Ashley Virtue from the National Conflict Resolution Center. Ashley travels around the country, teaching people how to resolve conflicts and disagreements in a healthy manner. While their conversation is focused on conflict at work, Ashley and Eric also explore what’s driving the increased conflict in our culture, some tools you can use to handle it, and what Ashley points to as the catalyst.

Ashley shares some strategies workplace leaders can use to help their teams communicate effectively. She also reveals NCRC’s three steps for responding respectfully when you hear something you disagree with: 1) demonstrating understanding, 2) acknowledging the impact it has on the other person, and 3) identifying what the underlying needs are. Ashley emphasizes that simply feeling heard is critical to feeling fairly treated and moving forward.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

Ashley Virtue’s role with the National Conflict Resolution Center and what her organization does.
The diversity of her work and why there are so many commonalities across industries.
Increased conflict in the culture and workplace and the new tools you can utilize to deal with it.
What Ashley points to as the catalyst behind the increased divisiveness.
Some strategies workplace leaders can use to help their teams communicate effectively.
The three components of responding respectfully when you hear something you disagree with.
Why Ashley finds her work to be a form of self-care and how it encourages her.
Training and workshops NCRC offers in addition to mediation and conflict resolution.
Eric’s perception of new managers’ soft skills in leadership roles.

Connect with Ashley Virtue:

National Conflict Resolution Center

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