{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/64ac1364e55ebb0011c2b252/68c9b0bed40e25a9257be995?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Kung Fu Fighting - Getting Good at Conflict with Alice Driscoll and Louise van Haarst","description":"<p>Most of us avoid conflict. We fear tension, fallout, or damaged relationships. But what if conflict wasn’t something to shy away from? What if it could be&nbsp;<em>smart - </em>a pathway to stronger relationships, higher trust, and better team performance?</p><p><br></p><p>Highly Relational</p><p>Season 4 - Episode 2</p><p><strong>Kung Fu Fighting - Getting Good at Conflict</strong></p><p>with&nbsp;<strong>Alice Driscoll </strong>and<strong> Louise van Haarst</strong></p><p><br></p><p>In this episode, host&nbsp;<strong>Robert Digings</strong>&nbsp;is joined by&nbsp;<strong>Louise van Haarst</strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>Alice Driscoll</strong>, co-founders of The Power House and co-authors of&nbsp;<em>Smart Conflict: How to Have Hard Conversations at Work</em>. Together they share how leaders and teams can move from conflict avoidance to&nbsp;conflict competence.</p><p><br></p><p>Between them, Alice and Louise have spent thousands of hours coaching leaders, boards, and teams. They argue that organisations don’t need less conflict - they need&nbsp;more, but of the right kind. In their work and new book, they show how to shift from destructive relational conflict to productive task conflict.</p><p><br></p><p>In this conversation, we explore:</p><p><br></p><ul><li>🔄 Why reframing conflict as opportunity unlocks better collaboration</li><li>🧭 The&nbsp;<strong>Five R’s model</strong> - Reflect, Regulate, Readiness, Respond, Repair—and how to apply it</li><li>💬 Why repair is always possible, even when conversations go badly</li><li>⚖️ How to balance accountability with empathy in today’s workplace</li><li>🚦 The difference between relational conflict (“me vs. you”) and task conflict (“us vs. the problem”)</li><li>🌱 Why awareness of conflict styles matters and how teams can use diagnostics to build shared language</li><li>💡 Practical ways to bring smart conflict into your next team meeting or one-to-one</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Their message is simple but powerful: conflict is inevitable, but with the right tools, it can become one of the most valuable resources for growth, creativity, and resilience at work.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Alice Driscoll:</strong></p><p><a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-elizabeth-driscoll\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">www.linkedin.com/in/alice-elizabeth-driscoll</a></p><p><a href=\"www.thepowerhouse.company\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">www.thepowerhouse.company</a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Louise van Haarst:</strong></p><p><a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-van-haarst\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">www.linkedin.com/in/louise-van-haarst</a></p><p><a href=\"www.thepowerhouse.company\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">www.thepowerhouse.company</a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Robert Digings:</strong></p><p><a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertdigings/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">www.linkedin.com/in/robertdigings</a></p><p><br></p><p>Team Development Consultant and Executive Coach</p><p>Robert has been working with teams and their challenges for over 20 years.&nbsp;</p><p>He has discovered that the biggest improvements come when a team has the courage to do the challenging work of developing deep personal connections and a real sense of belonging.</p><p>In this business podcast Robert explores the insights, experience and advice from other experts in the field of human collaboration, be they leaders, authors, coaches or consultants.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Production credits:</strong></p><p>Studio Engineer at Premiere Podcast Studios - Freddie Scragg</p><p>Post Production - Shaun Lawson</p><p>Series Producer - Julie Allen</p><p><br></p><p>© 2025 Highly Relational Limited</p><p><br></p><p>Find Highly Relational on all your favourite podcast apps or YouTube</p><p>If you are enjoying the listen, hit subscribe and leave us a review!</p>","author_name":"Robert Digings"}