As a human services professional and agent of social change, you will undoubtedly encounter conflict. To be a leader in the helping professions, you must be able to effectively manage this conflict and use it to positively impact the lives of individuals. Because your reactions to difficult situations can influence how others perceive you, it is important for you to be aware of your conflict-handling skills, as well as other values and attitudes that contribute to effective leadership in this field.

This week, you explore the impact of conflict-handling skills on leadership roles and collaboration. You also examine attitudes and values characteristic of influential human services professionals and create a plan to support personal growth and development.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

· Analyze the impact of conflict-handling skills on leadership roles

· Analyze the impact of conflict-handling skills on collaboration

· Analyze strategies to address leadership and collaboration challenges

· Evaluate attitudes and values of human services professionals

· Apply attitudes and values characteristic of effective human services professionals

Required Readings

Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.

Reid Mandell, B., & Schram, B. (2012). An introduction to human services: Policy and practice (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

· Chapter 4, “Attitudes/Values, Skills, and Knowledge” (pp. 105–136)

Walden University. (n.d.). Online Writing Center. Retrieved from http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu

This is the main page for Walden’s Online Writing Center. It features information on the Tutoring Center, Grammarly, Turnitin, and other helpful resources.

Walden University. (n.d.). Walden Templates: General Templates. Retrieved from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/templates/general#s-lg-box-2774360

These Study Notes provide a template for writing course papers. Guidelines for formatting abstracts, headings, and references are also included.

Discussion: Conflict-Handling

Conflict is often a part of change, and as a human services professional influencing change, knowing how you respond to conflict is essential. This self-awareness of your conflict-handling skills will help you better build your conflict response repertoire as you gain experiences in the field. By developing these skills, you may perform more effectively in leadership roles, resulting in improved outcomes for clients. For this Discussion, reflect on your own conflict-handling skills and how they might impact your role in human services.

With these thoughts in mind:

By Day 4

Post a brief description, based on your individual assessment, of your conflict-handling skills. Then, explain how your conflict-handling skills might help or hinder your performance in a current or potential leadership role. Finally, explain at least one way your conflict-handling skills might impact your collaboration skills.