Leaders Credit Union Blog

Embracing Conflict with Merry Brown

Written by LeadersCU | Nov 4, 2025 11:17:43 PM

Episode 69: Pocket Change Podcast

How do you see conflict in your workplace or personal life? While nobody enjoys conflict, it's a constant issue throughout our lives. Merry Brown, author of How to Be Unprofessional at Work and host of the podcast, Conflict Managed, shares how you can use conflict to your advantage by knowing how to handle it well. Tune in to the Pocket Change Podcast to learn how to begin looking at conflict in a new way.

Summary

 
What are misconceptions about conflict?

The most common misconception about conflict is that all conflict is bad. While unmanaged conflict can cause toxicity in the workplace, managed conflict can be beneficial for growth. 

Conflict is bound to happen, so how do you handle it in the workplace?

Healthy work environments welcome questions and healthy conflict. Not managing conflict well can cause you to lose employees, but if you create a safe space where employees can face conflict appropriately, it could help your company to excel.

If you are a manager, having self-awareness is a game-changer for knowing how you're communicating with your team. Recognize the areas you're lacking in communication, and work on them to improve your relationships.


What's the worst thing you could do with conflict?

Ignoring conflict is not only damaging to your relationships, but your company as a whole. It can make your team feel ignored, unseen, and unheard. Even if you consider yourself as someone who hates conflict or feel as though you are unable to manage it well, the key is to learn how to improve your response. 

 

Key Takeaways

  • Merry has a podcast called Conflict Managed, in which she interviews people from all over the world about their careers.
  • Healthy work environments can be stemmed from a simple conversation.
  • How to be Unprofessional at Work: Tips to Ensure Failure is a book by Brown that includes 80 tips of what not to do at work. 
  • Merry's new book, Winning the Generations Wars at Work: Making Age an Asset, will be published in January 2026.

To learn more about Merry Brown's books or Third Party Workplace Conflict Restoration Services, visit 3pconflictrestoration.com. Also, be sure to listen to her podcast, Conflict Managed.

The Pocket Change Podcast is presented by Leaders Credit Union. To learn more about Leaders, visit leaderscu.com.

 

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Full Transcript