Make ethics the heart of your leadership from the start

Growling and gruffness under pressure give an appearance of bluster not leadership. It's more effective to use mental toughness to stay calm, leadership expert LaRae Quy writes, offering four ways to exhibit that, such as managing emotions, prioritizing tasks and planning for when things go wrong.

Put it into practice: Create a prioritization strategy to effectively handle competing tasks, Quy suggests. Try working in 90-minute cycles so the breaks in between can reduce stress and keep you at your best. Plan for worst-case scenarios so you'll be calmer and ready to act when plans go awry.

Difficult workplace conversations need to end with a commitment to action, or the problem is going to resurface, leadership coach Karin Hurt writes. "It's worse than if you never had a conversation. Now you've wasted time, trust drips away, and people lose hope," Hurt says.

Put it into practice: It helps to focus on one action and emphasize who is responsible for the action and set a time frame. Ensure both parties understand this, and set a follow-up meeting (or more), Hurt says.

If you're thinking and feeling like you're overwhelmed at any point during your day, author and life coach Tess Brigham recommends asking four questions to check the validity of those thoughts and feelings and reframe them to reduce anxiety so you can think more clearly and take effective action. "This cognitive reframing method helps us explore alternative perspectives and possibilities, rather than fixating on a single negative outcome," Brigham writes.

A well-sealed Roman tomb in present-day Spain has yielded the oldest wine yet identified, a white wine from the first century CE in a glass funeral urn that also holds a man's cremains and a gold ring. The researchers, whose findings appear in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, say the wine compares to sherries produced today in the city of Jerez, Spain.

I am a conflict-averse person. I'd rather not have that difficult conversation, but if it must happen, Karin Hurt's advice on how to handle it is solid. To prevent circling the same argument or disagreement, look for a way for either party (or both) to take action to resolve whatever is causing the conflict.

Recapping a conversation by paraphrasing what you think the other person has said to make sure you understand their position can help uncover any areas that remain unclear. This way, the action that each of you agrees to take will have a better chance of resolving the disagreement.

The follow-up conversation may be the most challenging part, though, because it's a chance for the same old grievances to erupt all over again. But, as Hurt notes, that scheduled conversation "gives you a built-in opportunity to discuss the inevitable disruptions to your plan."

Handling conflict is never easy, but Hurt's steps can help you prepare and take a bit of the sting out of it.

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