Jan 29, 2015Difficult Dealings
“It’s just the nature of the beast,” Krawietz says. “At some point, every athletic trainer is going to have to deal with a conflict, disagreement, or a difficult work relationship–anything along those lines. Conflict is something that spans every profession’s lines.”
During the hour-long presentation Krawietz will utilize a review of literature, borrowing from business management, medical, and athletic training to discuss the nature of conflict and negotiation. “I want to focus on expanding the settings,” he says. “I think that traditionally, athletic trainers have looked at dealing with the coach, but I want to expand that a little bit and look into the clinical and hospital settings to get that perspective as well.
“I’m excited about showing a video in the presentation,” Krawietz continues. “I interviewed a couple of NATA Hall of Fame athletic trainers, and both of them have worked in the NFL. Between the two of them, there’s NFL, college, clinical, corporate, and hospital experience. I’m looking forward to sharing those interviews and some of their wisdom from the 30-plus years of experience they’ve had.”
The presentation is designed to benefit any clinical athletic trainer, regardless of where he or she practices. “My hope is that there will be something in the presentation for everyone,” Krawietz says. “I would like everyone who attends to walk away with some additional knowledge, or suggestions to consider in their work setting, in regards to managing a difficult situation or conflict.”
To get ready for this presentation, you can check out a past article from T&C, Coping with Coach Difficult, that discusses conflicts with coaches. The presentation “Dealing with Difficult Coaches, Administrators, and Colleagues: Strategies for the High School, Collegiate, and Clinical/Industrial Athletic Trainer to Manage Difficult Work Relationships” is on Friday from 1:15 to 2:15 p.m.
