Every team has moments of friction. Two people who can’t see eye to eye. A deadline that turns the pressure up. A stretch where everything seems to land at once. None of this is unusual. What matters is how the manager handles it, because that’s what decides whether the team comes through it steady or starts to fray. This is where conflict management skills for managers earn their keep, and where most managers were never taught any.
Why the hard moments matter more than the routine
It’s easy to judge a manager on the good days. The real test is the difficult ones. When conflict is left to fester, it spreads. When pressure isn’t managed, it wears people down. And the person most responsible for how that plays out is the manager. 78% of employees say their manager has a significant impact on their mental health and wellbeing at work (Mind / CIPD, 2024). That influence works both ways. A manager who handles pressure and conflict well protects their team. One who doesn’t quietly adds to the strain.
What good conflict management looks like
Handling conflict well doesn’t mean avoiding it or smoothing it over. It means addressing it early, hearing both sides properly, and helping people find a way forward that holds. Managing pressure well means being honest about what’s realistic, shielding the team from noise where you can, and keeping people steady when things are uncertain. And leading through change means bringing people with you rather than dragging them along. None of this comes naturally to most people. It’s learned.
A capability you can build
The good news is that these are teachable skills, not fixed personality traits. Managers can learn to have the difficult conversation without dreading it, to spot and defuse tension before it escalates, and to lead a team through a tough stretch without losing people along the way. It takes practice and the right guidance, but it’s very much within reach.
How Level 5 builds it
Our ILM Level 5 Leadership and Management course tackles this head on. The managing stress and conflict content helps managers understand where friction comes from and how to resolve it constructively, while the change content builds their ability to lead people through uncertainty. Because it’s applied to their real team and their real challenges, managers can put it into practice as they learn.
The hard parts of managing are where good managers earn their keep, and where struggling ones lose their people. Handling conflict and pressure well is a skill worth building deliberately, not leaving to chance. If you’d like your managers equipped for the difficult moments, not just the easy ones, explore our ILM Level 5 Leadership and Management course.
Speak to us to see if this is a right fit for you
Level 7 ILM Senior Leader Diploma
- Senior managers & aspiring executives
- £3,150 + VAT
- 14-16 months
- Awarded by ILM
Level 5 ILM Leadership and Management
- Manager to head of department
- From £1,425 + VAT
- 6-10 months
- Certificate/Diploma. Awarded by ILM.
Level 3 ILM Leadership and Management
- First-line team leaders
- From £895 + VAT
- 6-12 months
- Certificate/Diploma. Awarded by ILM.