Improving your conflict management skills

Conflict is something that the majority of people don't enjoy. However, at some point or another it's likely that you'll encounter a scenario in which you can't avoid it. Resolving the situation successfully is the ideal result, but in order to do so you need to develop your conflict management skills. Here are three techniques to help improve them.

• Address conflict early - If you're certain that there is a problem that needs dealing with, don't let it fester.

• Focus on achieving a satisfactory result - Instead of caring about who's right, or winning the argument, turn your attention to resolving the issue in a way that respects the needs and opinions of both parties.

• Don't drag up history - It's easy for conflict to escalate when old issues cloud your judgement. Focus on the present, and attempt to deal with the matter at hand rather than adding to it with previous grudges.

The four stages of a habit

Habits are a useful tool when employed correctly. However, creating them or breaking bad ones is challenging. Breaking down how a habit works helps you to understand how they form, what you can do to change them, or how to build better ones.

• Cue - This is the trigger that begins the process. It's the signal that lets your brain know that there's possibly a reward down the line.

• Craving - For any action, you require a motivating force. In the habit loop, this is the craving. Once your habit is triggered, a need kicks in to prompt you to continue the process.

• Response - The third stage is where you take action to fulfill your craving. If a lot of effort is needed to do so, you're unlikely to follow through. However, if there's no friction to the process you'll respond automatically.

• Reward - Before a habit can form, you need an immediate reward to inform your brain that the process is worth it.

For example, consider seeing a doughnut stand. This is the cue to begin feeling hungry, and to crave something to eat. Buying a doughnut and eating it is your response to the need. Immediately, you satisfy the craving and are rewarded, and a habit loop begins to form.

How better self-care can help your productivity

It's unlikely that you'll find anyone that will tell you that they feel their most productive when they're under the weather. Yet it's rare that people consider the opposite situation, that you're likely to perform better when in good health.

Self-care is vital, not just for your own health but also for your productivity levels. However, don't mistake the concept as simply indulging in movies with your favourite snacks on hand. Instead, think about it as caring for yourself as if you would a child or close family or friends. For example, some positive actions you could take include:

• Getting enough sleep.

• Reaching out to a friend for support on a rough day.

• Detaching from work at the end of each day.

• Taking time away from technology.

Some of the most successful CEOs actively engage in regular self-care. For example, consider Jack Dorsey, who is CEO of two massive companies, Twitter and Square. His daily routine includes meditating every morning to help him become more effective during the rest of his day, according to a Q&A session on Product Hunt.

Reigniting your passion at work

Passion isn't a consistent state. Just like with most moods, it can come and go depending on a lot of different factors. However, just like knowing that a coffee is likely to improve your mood, you can learn to reignite your passion if you've found yourself stuck in a rut at work.

Many people view their jobs as a means to an end. By developing a passion for the work you're doing, it's more likely that you'll become engaged in your role and find yourself enjoying what you do. Finding projects that you're excited about can help. Of course, it's important to ensure they tie in with your role and don't prevent you from completing your other tasks.

Learn how to incorporate your interests into your work as well. For example, if you enjoy meeting new people and developing networks, create regular lunch dates with people throughout the business where you learn more about their roles and build relationships with them.

The concept of combinatorial play

Combinatorial play first gained its name from no other than Einstein. This was, perhaps, due to how he used it himself - many of his best scientific ideas came to him while playing the violin, which was a favourite past time of his.

You may have already experienced it. People often come up with solutions to difficult problems, or think up a great project idea for work, while immersed in something completely different, such as going for a walk or taking a shower. These moments are a part of combinatorial play, which is generally defined as combining knowledge, ideas, and patterns from different fields and discovering something new in the process. In another sense, it's a way to get your thinking out of a rut and become more creative. Here are a few ways you can try to do this:

• Do something mundane - Letting your brain wander unchecked can allow your subconscious to work on connecting ideas.

• Learn new things - The more knowledge you have, the more opportunity you have to see new connections. Try something new, talk with someone within a similar field and gather as much information as you can.

The three types of feedback
Feedback is a vital part of learning and developing your skills. If you don't know that you're doing something incorrectly, or can't see how you could do something better, it's difficult to improve.

Generally, feedback comes in one of three forms.These are as follows:

• Constructive - This is often viewed as the most useful type of feedback, as it highlights how people can improve. Constructive comments are based on observation and use specific information that focuses around particular issues. It's often the most difficult to deliver well, as it's generally sensitive in nature. Using a positive focus, and avoiding dwelling on what they did wrong, helps prevent the other party from becoming discouraged. Remember that constructive feedback is showing someone how they can progress, not how they failed.

• Praise - Letting individuals know when they've done well is a powerful tool for reinforcing behaviour. Praise is purely positive feedback. You can make it highly specific so the other person knows exactly what you were impressed by, or more generalised showing them that they're on the right track.

• Criticism - This type of feedback is the opposite of the first two. It focuses on perceived negative behaviour, without providing any way forward. For example, telling someone that they're horrible at public speaking doesn't provide them with anything to work with. Criticism is destructive, and is highly unlikely to provide any positive results.