But too often, this behavior is an excuse for avoiding the mucky work of maintaining relationships, both personal and professional. Many managers and employees want to escape the unchecked animus they experience online, preferring the workplace feel like a safe cocoon. This year we should all work to reverse the trend and lean in to conflict — and conflict resolution — instead. Perfectionism affects and, in turn, limits the ways we feel safe communicating, which makes perfect sense. The pandemic, not surprisingly, is another culprit, exacerbating students’ experience of relational tension.

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