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How Are You Managing Your Executive Committee?: Dealing With Inner Conflict

RickBrenner and SteveSmith

Minimum Number of Participants: 12

Maxmimum Number of Participants: 50

Session Description

The voices inside my head all want something and they want conflicting things at the same time: Let's go to the gym this morning! Let's call Bill and meet him for breakfast! Shouldn't we finish those expense reports? Shouldn't we do chores around the house? Tension around these choices creates inner conflict.

Listening to only one of the voices in my head removes the conflict, but the other parts of me are left feeling ignored. Eventually, these parts stop asking and begin demanding that I do want they want. For instance, the voice that wants to go to breakfast with a friend begins demanding that I do so: "Gotta call Bill and meet him for breakfast!"

How do we manage this inner conflict? How can we detect it when it's happening?

A method that Rick and Steve have found helpful is choosing congruently after listening to all the voices. There may still be conflict, but it is out in the open and all parts feel like that their opinion counts.

In this session Rick and Steve will host a meeting between the chairs of your life. We will help you probe them for information to help you understand the yearnings of the voices inside of you.

Rick Brenner: Steve and I recently changed the title of this session to "How Are You Managing Your Executive Committee?: Dealing With Inner Conflict." It more accurately describes the model we're using to externalize internal conflict.

Updated: Friday, October 6, 2000