• Explain how you would react to your colleague's two different responses if you were in the meeting.
• Provide constructive feedback on their healthy-conflict response. As part of your feedback, identify at least two leadership or professional communication skills used by your colleague.

Reading - use information from reading to support response Apa format

• Northouse, P. G. (2024). Introduction to leadership: Concepts and practice (6th ed.). SAGE.
  • Chapter 10, "Managing Conflict" (pp. 261-281)
  • Chapter 12, "Exploring Destructive Leadership" (pp. 323-341)

Conflict Response

"I'm honestly shocked by what you just said. Are you even aware of what Therapy Services actually does here? Cutting staff? That's completely ridiculous. We're the ones keeping this place running with our patient outcomes and satisfaction scores. If anything, the Medical Clinic should be evaluated for effectiveness before pointing fingers at us. Maybe you should look at your own department before coming after mine."

Positive Response

"I appreciate you bringing up concerns about resource allocation, it's an important part of strategic planning. I'd like to offer some context about Therapy Services before we move forward. Our department has consistently met or exceeded clinical benchmarks, including patient retention, satisfaction, and functional outcomes. We've also seen an increase in referrals and a growing waitlist, which speaks to the demand for our services."

"That said, I understand that all departments need to be evaluated to ensure we're operating efficiently. I'd be happy to work with you and the rest of the team to review the data together and look for areas where we might optimize staff or processes, whether that's in Therapy Services or elsewhere. Let's make sure any decisions we make are grounded in client outcomes and organizational priorities."

"Ultimately, I believe our different perspectives can lead to a stronger, more sustainable plan, so I welcome a deeper discussion and collaboration moving forward."