What would you do if you found yourself being forced to defend slavery?
Rekha Lakra is a lawyer, mediator, speaker, author, and expert in interpersonal conflict. You may find yourself asking, “How does one become a conflict expert?” Fair question.
Rekha’s journey started with a love of reading. Over time, the younger Rekha started to notice one of the most engaging central themes of the stories she so loved reading was the conflicts that the stories’ protagonists needed to overcome. Through continued reading and education, Rekha came to a deep understanding of human conflict and the important role it plays in our ability to problem-solve, evolve, and succeed as a species.
All of this knowledge was brought into further focus when Rekha found herself working with a client who was the CEO of a large enterprise. This person’s lens around growth and conflict was that they would not consider something a win unless a direct competitor lost. Even at the level of people who are supposed to be working together on the same teams within companies, workplace conflict costs companies an estimated $359 billion per year in the USA alone, and 65% of high potential start-ups fail each year because of conflict between co-founders.
This wasted potential is what has driven Rekha to pursue her current focus; shifting people’s mindsets (and accompanying responses) when they find themselves in conflict situations, thus empowering them to see the opportunity that each conflict presents in terms of its potential to help us grow, and yes, even win.
It starts with separating the person from the problem or, as Rekha puts it, being “tender on the person and tough on the problem.”
Rekha shares so many helpful tactics in this episode, we encourage you to take the time to listen to the full episode and be sure to keep a notepad handy.
You can find Rekha Lakra on LinkedIn or through her corporate website, adrcenterpoint.com.
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