Most of us try to avoid conflict. But done right, fighting can be a path to stronger teams and healthier communities. On this episode of Hello Monday, Priya Parker makes the case for embracing “healthy heat” and learning how to navigate conflict with care.
Priya Parker is a conflict resolution facilitator and author of The Art of Fighting: The Transformative Power of Conflict. Drawing on her work with teams, organizations, communities and groups, she shares practical ways to face conflict effectively.
Jessi and Priya discuss:
Why conflict is often a sign of relevance, and why we tend to fight with the people and groups we care about most
The difference between healthy heat, unhealthy peace and destructive conflict
How healthy conflict can create connection, clarity, better decisions and stronger teams
Why our “fighting muscles” have atrophied, particularly after the pandemic
How digital communication can flatten or exacerbate conflict rather than help us hold productive tension
How to become an artful fighter by approaching conflict with curiosity instead of immediately trying to shut it down
How to identify “hairline fractures” before they grow into larger rifts within teams and communities
How to determine whether a conflict is worth facing
The role of an outside facilitator in helping teams navigate conflict and develop practical conflict-resolution skills
Why preparing your body for conflict matters, including breathing, grounding and learning to stay physically relaxed under pressure
How listening can transform conflict and why staying in the heat long enough to hear each other can create breakthroughs
A lesson from the Canlis restaurant team: how treating feedback as “an investment in you” can help people listen without becoming defensive
What the Seattle Seahawks can teach us about culture and hairline fractures
Why learning to gather and fight well is increasingly important as AI reshapes the workplace
Follow Jessi Hempel and Priya Parker on LinkedIn
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