The Center for Creative Leadership estimates that "75% of careers are derailed for reasons related to emotional competencies, including the inability to handle interpersonal problems, unsatisfactory team leadership during times of difficulty or conflict, or the inability to adapt to change or elicit trust". Our flagship program reviews how our body processes and primes us to respond to conflict--including a review of emotional intelligence, common communication mistakes, conflict management, and executive functioning.

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     Using real-world examples and videos, we coach how to have more effective relationships with our teams.  This improves our ability to navigate how and when to have conversations to address personal and professional problems. This also helps us regulate our emotions and have a stronger, more effective command and control during emergencies. We place an emphasis on the prevention and management of conflict, as opposed to solely its resolution. Be prepared to laugh (including at yourself) while learning how to build deeper, more authentic relationships with your team.

​     Intoxicated Leadership illustrates how the body perceives disagreement and why we respond to conflict the way we do.  Luckily for us, emotional competencies can be learned and improved upon.  Using this information, participants commonly report improvement at work and in their personal lives with their children and spouses. 

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PEOPLE ARE BIOLOGICALLY PROGRAMMED TO SURVIVE CONFLICT IN ONE OF THREE WAYS--THE FIGHT, FLIGHT OR FREEZE RESPONSE.

The problem then becomes that most leaders only focus on getting through the conflict rather than proactively and successfully managing it. As a result, we do or say things in the moment that doesn't necessarily represent the best version of what we intended.  This causes extreme discomfort, so we learn to avoid conflict.  When disagreements inevitably present themselves, and employees start to spread rumors of their side of the story, leadership must avoid becoming emotional—especially angry and defensive.  Dealing with difficult employees can be incredibly frustrating and discouraging, and it becomes tempting for leadership to flare up their rank and authority by quoting policy and “because I said so.”

So how confident do you feel when you have to have a difficult conversation? Are you able to recognize when the employee is visibly upset and sending signals that starting a conversation is a bad idea?​ Traditional leadership classes often trick us into thinking that we can resolve conflict in a ten-minute conversation. In reality, leaders may never be able to secure buy-in from the employee. Intoxicated Leadership illustrates why the body responds to conflict the way it does, be it with the customers of your business, amongst your leadership team, or even with yourself when trying to choose the right course of action.  Using this knowledge, we will discuss at length how leaders can create favorable circumstances to assist in constructing and having a difficult conversation. Participants will receive an overview of emotional competencies and real-world tips that can be applied immediately to assist leaders in having easier and ultimately more productive conversations.

Learning Objectives Include:

• Discuss the influence of emotion in maintaining an effective command and control presence, both in the firehouse and on the fire ground.

• ​​Describe ways in which to influence a difficult employee before, during, and after a difficult conversation.

• ​​Discuss how the body perceives and responds to conflict, and how to overcome nerves when leading 

• ​​Illustrate an "Intoxicated" leader; Discuss the disadvantages of creating a highly emotionally-charged workplace.