Dr. Kevin Mailo welcomes Dr. Mandy Brisebois, physician and Certified Health and Wellness Coach, to the show to address the reality of interpersonal conflict and how to resolve it. Dr. Brisebois specializes in helping practitioners work through conflict and shares her experience with listeners.

Dr. Brisebois clarifies that conflict is the end result of missing the boat on necessary steps that come beforehand. She identifies that communication, collaboration, aligned expectations, and knowing each other’s goals are all conversations that should be happening amongst colleagues in order to avoid clashes. However, knowing how to resolve conflict when it does arise is vital, especially in pandemic times of stress and overwork.

In this episode, Dr. Kevin Mailo and guest Dr. Mandy Brisebois discuss how to address conflict or tense exchanges in the moment, with Dr. Brisebois offering ways to change how we think about the exchange and how to open conversation before walking away. Dr. Brisebois shares what process she has learned to identify conflict, how she takes people through conflict resolution, and the necessity of psychological safety in the workplace in order to foster the communication required.

Would you expect the chef at a restaurant to be told that they are not only required to prepare the food in the kitchen but also deliver it to each of the tables and manage the billing? What about sorting out the restaurant’s finances or understanding the number of patrons that need to flow through per night to optimize income? If this sounds unreasonable, how did we end up asking physicians to undertake multiple roles in our health care organizations for which they have not trained? This expectation has led to untenable work environments, and we need to find solutions.”

Amanda Brisebois is an internal medicine physician and palliative medicine specialist. Book a call with Dr. B to talk about conflict in your workplace.

She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, “Misaligned expectations lead to conflict, burnout, and disillusioned physician leaders.

Conflict can occur almost everywhere, whether it is in a medical setting or at home, and can have damaging effects if left unresolved. Developing effective communication skills with patients and healthcare teams is an important step towards mutual understanding and creating healthy working relationships.

This episode features Amanda (Dr. B) Brisebois MD, a Wellness and Executive Coach, General Internal Medicine and Palliative Medicine Specialist, Conflict Coach, Chronic Illness Coach, and International Keynote Speaker. She has undergone extensive training focused on conflict resolution, negotiation, mediation, equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Today, Dr. Brisebois shares some strategies that will help us navigate challenging situations and difficult conversations.

I started to realize how to ask proper questions and how to really get to know people. And all of a sudden that extended into my patients, my physician colleagues, and wow, what am I missing?

– Dr. Amanda Brisebois