Module 6: Final Reflections

Prompt #1: In Module 1, you watched "Invictus," a clip from the movie "Gandhi," and a 60
Minute Segment on Mindfulness. The idea was to have you look at attitude and a mental model
about conflict, review the attitudes of two powerful leaders, and consider your own approach to
conflict. Did this Module help set a foundation upon which to develop the rest of the course?
What worked and didn't work?
I do believe that the both the movie and clip did provide a foundation on challenging mental
models, our own attitude/beliefs, and the biases that all of us hold. The movie allowed me to
visually see this in real time and promoted me to examine each character and their own mental
models. The prompts allowed me to think about the movie from different perspectives. While I
am a kinesthetic learner, I also learn by visuals and this allowed me to get a better idea of what
this course would teach us. It was a great introduction to the course and material.
Prompt #2: In Module 2, you were introduced to the martial art, Aikido. The purpose of this
module was to use a martial art that deals with "physical conflict" in a different way, a way that
provided a metaphor for how to deal with conflict in the workplace. What did you take away
from this Module? Did you see a connection between the principles of Aikido and the principles
of dealing professionally with workplace conflict?
In the first module, I was introduced to Aikido, I had never heard of Akido before nor was I
familiar with martial arts. This module and the way it was introduced allowed me to really
understand the metaphor for conflict resolution and how it connected to Akido, I didn’t
understand how they were connected before. While I understood the notion of being calm and
not allowing your anger to get the best of you during conflict (easier said than done) the concept
of seeing conflict as an opportunity was new to me. Each step of the Akido metaphor helped me
to understand and be aware of my own skills and what I need to work on when it comes to
conflict resolution. What I took away from the module was how important each step is and how
these steps help you to be in control on a conflict rather than being controlled by it.
 Centering oneself
 Seeing conflict as an opportunity welcoming it
 Blending
 Leading
I did see the connection, especially in my work environment, I noticed when people avoided
conflict, when they not centered and top heave, and even when someone was not welcoming
conflict and created a bigger problem. I also noticed how much more aware I was when I started
to feel frustrated. I continue to practice each step and take time to center myself when going into
conflict.
Prompt #3: In Module 3, you were introduced to the first conflict transformation skill, "Spitting
Out the Hook." Did you learn the skill? Will it help you deal with conflict? Was this quiz (and
were the quizzes} fair, too hard, or too easy? Did the quizzes help you gain more from the text?
This was one of my favorite skills, just the metaphor of the fishhook and spitting it out or
keeping of hold of it helped me to really understand the importance of ensuring that my own
reaction is what I am responsible for. My reaction is about me and no one else. When you are
hooked you blame, argue, attack, or even justify your actions. Staying centered and asking
genuine questions is important. Like it was stated in the module by Stephen Convey, “Seek first
to understand, then to be understood.” When you are hooked you are controlled and no
resolution comes once you are not in control. I believe the quizzes were fair to hard, reading
through the book there is so much information and so much to learn and understand. Even with
taking notes on at least 2-4 questions I had to go back and re-read some parts to ensure I
answered the questions correctly. The quizzes did allow me to gain more knowledge from the
book, especially the concepts that I had to go back and re-read to ensure understanding.
Prompt #4: In Module 4, you were introduced to the second conflict transformation skill,
"H.E.A.R." Did you learn the skill? Will it help you deal with conflict? Some of you already
use an active listening skill; was learning H.E.A.R. too redundant or was it valuable to review?
The concept of H.E.A.R wasn’t new, however it was refreshing to see this skill in a different
format. Active listening is a very difficult skills to master and the H.E.A.R module provided an
opportunity to learn about in depth listening from a different perspective. I do not believe this
was redundant, this skill paired nicely with the skills we were learning in the class and I felt it
built upon the previous model. What I took away was really focusing on identifying the event
and reaction and asking for more information to really hear and understand the other person.
Prompt #5: In Module 5, you were introduced to the third conflict transformation skill, "BURN
CLEAN." Did you learn the skill? Will it help you deal with conflict? Will it help you express
your "wants" without throwing out hooks?
BURN CLEAN was the second favorite skill I learned in this course. Since the spotlight is on
you, this skill challenged me to be upfront and honest with myself, my own wants, and needs. It
was uncomfortable at first practicing the skills, but I’ve learned through out that years that
uncomfortable pain is growing pain. This is a skill I can use with a peer and with my direct
manager. This skill will allow me to better understand myself and what I need out of a conflict
and most importantly allow me to be clear and transparent so nothing gets lost in translation.
Prompt #6: In Module 6, you were introduced to the fourth conflict transformation skill, "SAY
YES." Did you learn the steps in this skill? Will you be able to use it to help you transform
conflict? How confident do you feel about using the SAY YES Model?
SAY YES was the most detail skill that we learned in this course and since this skill is you being
an impartial mediator at most points gaining the YES from others it is a skill that will need some
practice. What I liked about the skill and how it was presented was how each step really required
a yes and a full commitment from the parties involved. Without being able to say yes and gain
commitment you could not move forward. Step 5 the critical question was my favorite step. By
asking the critical question you allow yourself and others to really understand the issues and
interests that the other person our yourself might now know or be fully aware of. I had a turn of
events during my talk with my co-worker and this step allowed me to be able to start an honest
dialogue with her and to being repairing a relationship.
To be fill confident and master this skill, I would need to practice it and really blend with the
skill. I can say with confidence that this skill will absolutely allow me to help transform myself
into a better leader and help me to resolve conflict well beyond the surface.
Prompt #7: Is there something you wish you had learned or some topic we needed to spend
more or less time on? Add any final thoughts you think would be helpful in improving this
course. Overall, was the workload fair and manageable, light or too much?
I very much enjoyed the class, the modules and videos were fantastic, they really allowed me to
learn each skill and the examples help me to put those skills into perspective. I would of like to
spend more time on the SAY YES model and have seen each step modeled via video. Since there
are so many steps and some were straight forward, I felt I could have used a little more context
and examples. Overall the course workload was manageable, the chapter readings and prompts
where well balanced. Overall, I loved the course, I would highly recommend to other students,
and will continue to bring these concepts to my organization and team. Conflict resolution is a
vital skill that must be learned and practiced.