Once upon a time, there was a young woman, who, upon receiving her degree; got a job; worked hard and was respected by her co-workers and supervisors. She was acknowledged to be an excellent employee and within a few years, she was promoted to department manager. And just as all fairy tale endings, she was happy. Well, almost, because this wasn't a fairy tale and she found herself dealing with the very same situations that people in the workplace often experience. When she took a good look at what was going on in her department, she observed clashes amongst her staff that created unresolved conflicts. She took a good look at herself to determine if and how she may have contributed to some of these problems.

Managers, department heads or whatever is one's tile, have many responsibilities. The work needs to be produced and produced with as little "static" from employees as possible. On one side, the "boss" must be familiar with all aspects of what is being produced and on the other side should be a talented psychologist, peace maker and mediator all rolled into one. As probably all who are reading this article will attest, workplace conflict, if left unchecked, can be devastating to a team or organization.

Machines, human or otherwise, need to be maintained in order to run properly and its maintenance is taken on in various ways. All motors, again human or mechanical, need to be lubricated and as managers, we are the lubricant, the substance that can reduce friction when it exists. However, there are certain rules or points that need to be remembered. The first point is that a conflicts are a normal part of life and ideally individuals can and will work out their problems by themselves. The second point is that some people just don't have the necessary skills to effectively work through their disagreements to resolve their problems. Consequently, as machine will not work well if any of its parts is rusty, the same will be true with those individuals working within a department. Managers are concerned with various matters but as the lubricator, they need to use their skills to make certain that their staff is working together so they are as productive as possible.

What necessary skills should a manager have to create a team that works well together? The following are a few of the tools that can help you develop and manage a productive department:

1. Being a good listener and good communicator is paramount. What is said and what is heard can be the difference between a hostile or cooperative environment; sometimes the difference between greater employee turnover, costly to any company,or an environment where everyone's needs can be reasonably satisfied.