SEI Competency Improvement - Essay Example

One competency that I consider to be my weakest competency that I need to work on, is conflict management which is a social skill under the quadrant of relationship management. Conflict management is the ability to negotiate and resolve disagreements. This is a social skill that enables an individual to effectively avoid and handle conflict. It is a skill that is difficult to master because it requires a lot of personal and social discipline to handle conflict that sometimes, our judgment and objectivity can be clouded by the overwhelming emotion involved in a conflict.

Conflict and disagreement are inevitable in any group or social setting. By inevitable conflict, I do not mean violence but rather clashes of opinion and personality which could sometimes ruin relationships and teamwork and ultimately, affect performance and productivity. No one can ever succeed in life and career without experiencing conflict because there will always be differences among people considering that we are all different. Thus, conflict management is a key skill for one to get over social and relationship difficulties and succeed. Sometimes, it would be necessary to go against other people’s opinions and perspectives to get our ideas and message across and this inevitably leads to a clash of opinions requiring a high degree of competency in conflict management.

Improving competency in conflict management is a never-ending process. Even top executives who are already at the peak of their careers are continuing to learn how to improve their conflict management skills. On my end, I will improve my conflict management competency by first increasing my awareness about myself and others on what causes conflict. I will then learn the various methods to handle it by learning the lessons taught in my management class. Management books as well as self-help books are also a huge help in improving competency in conflict management because they propose various techniques for handling conflict. Going to symposia, forums, lectures, and similar events will also help widen my perspective on conflict management. I will not let the opportunity pass also to be coached by experts in conflict management especially those who have years of experience behind them in dealing with conflicts. It will also help to observe how other people handle their respective conflicts and pick up those that are beneficial to me. Read More