When working relationships become tense or unsettled, it rarely starts with a major issue.
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It is usually small things, repeated, avoided, or handled under pressure in ways that don't always help, that begin to change how people work together.
When these situations are not addressed, they rarely stay between the people involved
What starts between two people rarely stays there for long.
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Over time, conversations can become shorter, or avoided altogether, and people begin to fill the gaps with their own assumptions rather than checking things out properly.
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The work itself often starts to feel harder than it should. Decisions take longer, and more time is spent managing the situation than moving things forward.
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What should be straightforward becomes unnecessarily complicated.
There are three main ways I support organisations to address this:
If you prefer to think things through first
I have put together a short guide:
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10 Top Tips for Managing Difficult Conversations
It is designed to help you reflect on a situation and consider your options before taking the next step.
You can get a copy here.
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Workplace Mediation
When two people are not working well, mediation provides a structured way to bring them together and work through what has been happening.
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It helps people make sense of the situation and begin to rebuild a workable relationship, without focusing on who is right or wrong.
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The aim is to restore a way of working that allows things to move forward.
Conflict Coaching
Sometimes the situation is not ready for a joint conversation, or one person needs time to think things through.
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Conflict coaching creates space to step back from the situation and make sense of what is happening.
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This often helps people approach the situation more calmly, with greater clarity and confidence.
Supporting Difficult Conversations
Many managers know they need to have a conversation but are unsure how to approach it.
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I help managers prepare for and carry out these conversations with clarity, so that issues are addressed early rather than avoided.
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This often makes the conversation more straightforward and reduces the risk of it escalating further.
You are likely dealing with a situation that is not resolving itself.
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It may involve two people who are not working well together, or something more widespread that is beginning to affect how people work together across the team.​
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In many cases, managers are aware of the issue but hope it will settle over time, or that those involved will find a way through it themselves.
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In practice, this rarely happens.
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The longer a situation continues, the more fixed people can become in how they see it. It becomes harder to have a straightforward conversation, and easier for assumptions to become entrenched.
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I often hear, “we should have done this sooner.”
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Acting earlier does not just make resolution more likely, it also reduces the time, energy, and cost involved in managing the situation.
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Left long enough, there is always the risk that one of the people involved decides to leave.
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When that happens, you do not just lose a person , you lose years of experience, established relationships, and a deep understanding of how things work, all of which takes time and cost to replace.
You may not have used mediation before, and it is reasonable to be unsure how it works in practice.
Most people come into the process not knowing what to expect, particularly if the situation has been difficult or ongoing.
In my experience, mediation is a practical and effective way of helping people work through issues that are unlikely to resolve on their own.
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It does not guarantee a particular outcome, but it creates the conditions for clear, constructive conversation.
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Even where agreement takes time, people often leave with a better understanding of each other and a clearer way forward.
Working with someone independent changes the dynamic of the conversation.
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Managers are often drawn into situations and, however carefully they try to handle them, can be seen as taking a side. An external perspective creates the space for a more balanced and constructive discussion.
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The aim is not just to address the immediate issues, but to help people understand what has been happening and find a way of working that is more effective going forward.
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The relationship itself does not have to be perfect — but it does need to be workable.
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If this reflects a situation you are dealing with, the next step is a simple conversation.
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I offer an initial, no-obligation discussion to understand what is happening and whether a structured intervention would be helpful. This is not a sales call. It is an opportunity to talk things through and decide what would be most useful in your situation.
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If that would be helpful, use the contact us button to get in touch.​
Do the thing & you shall have power
30 min