Genevieve Hawkins starts with a very simple sentence that is a timely reminder for anyone in a leadership role – be it official or unofficial, “Conflict exists in every organisation”.
Don’t be alarmed, though – this book is not a high-level overview of conflict resolution. Hawkins’ deep dives into how individuals perceive situations and how individual perceptions can grow the conflict, how to stop it before it grows, and how to approach the situation when the conflict has escalated to include Human Resources.
My ah-ha moment occurred fairly early on in the book, page 28 to be precise, “People wear multiple lenses that influence their perspective on the world”. It might seem obvious at first glance, but it is a concept that is difficult to recall in a flurry of return emails or instant messages when trying to get our point across.
This book is not only for official people managers; every executive assistant would benefit from reading Shrinking Elephants. EAs are unofficial leaders and change managers who regularly work across departments on a variety of projects. Understanding how unconscious reactions and blind spots are at the heart of growing conflict can help keep interdepartmental relations and projects on track.
Shrinking Elephants will be a book I continue to refer back to often to assist with effective problem solving and to build my skills in navigating conflict.
Amy Moore is an Executive Assistant in the Financial Services industry
