Sandbox Strategies for the New Workplace

Book excerpt: Provides a system to help professionals embrace and even welcome conflict with coworkers, bosses, clients, and others, by introducing the PLAY NICE sandbox strategy for dealing with conflict in a post-pandemic world. The workplace landscape has shifted dramatically since COVID19 struck. Many continue to work remotely while corporate executives indicate the shift may be permanent. Yet workplace conflict continues to remain a struggle in many work environments. Insecurity, conflicting values, and resistance to change are fueling the high stress of interpersonal relationships at work and beyond. For employees and managers alike, workplace conflict has taken on a whole new meaning and complexity. What is needed is a simple, direct, and workable approach to managing conflict. Sandbox Strategies for the New Workplace: Conflict Resolution From the Inside Out provides a system to help professionals embrace and even welcome conflict with coworkers, bosses, clients, and others. As a workplace-relationships expert helping remote and on-site teams resolve conflict for the last couple of decades, Penny Tremblay learned that there’s only one way through conflict and that’s through it. To help work teams, Penny designed eight proven strategies to help people become responsible, influential, and productive problem solvers. Readers will learn to master the PLAY NICE steps to exponentially increase their capacity to: Embrace, accept, and welcome conflicting values Understand the importance of collaborative relationships for career advancement Take responsibility to co-create a winning culture with productive and profitable results Empathize with coworkers and even competitors to be the leader others WANT to follow The only book that turns conflict resolution inside out and makes it a work of play, these eight sandbox strategies are illustrated with rich anecdotes, relevant analogies, and fun examples of tools (toys) to make “conflict” lessons as creative and constructive as the childhood sandbox. Playing nice doesn’t always mean being nice. Finding one’s assertive voice, speaking up, and setting boundaries are tools that are available to everyone. Peaceful, productive, and profitable relationships are everyone’s responsibility, so get out your shovels and let’s dig in!