Be Bold and Brave: Thila Suppiah Shares Essential Conflict Resolution Strategies and Tips for Introverts
“I believe the only person I can control is me. I can control my feelings, emotions, reactions as such I let go of the fact I cannot control others. The first rule is letting go of anything you cannot control.” Today’s woman dreamer, Thila Suppiah, is an expert in people management, with a passion for crucial topics including conflict management. In this informative interview, she shares her top 3 tips to women on resolving conflict in life, how to amplify their voices, and essential guidance to introverts. Enjoy her story!
1. You are an expert in people management and teamwork. Tell us your story. What inspired your interest in this space? What were some defining moments in your career/life that made you the leader you are today?
In my first role, I was assigned to a huge project overseas in a country which had a war. I took on the task not really knowing what to expect but I realised that, it was the best project.I was thrown in a country to learn to deal with the various different bodies and speaking to many people. I realised it was a good exposure for me. I did well in the project and after that I kept at helping my organisation resolve conflicts. I become good at it. I learned the following:
Never looked back since – always got roped in to put the fire off – I was getting good at it too.
From legal action against company to harassment challenges.
Guess I loved the adrenaline rush I get out of resolving major disputes!
2. Many women find it difficult to manage conflict and amplify their voices. What are your top 3 tips to women for resolving conflict?
I have worked in mostly male dominated organisations but my gender was never an issue when it comes to resolving conflicts for the organisations. Be Bold and Brave , don’t wait for someone to help – you be proactive to step in and get the necessary support to strategize and go ahead.
a) Be crystal clear with the communication (listen listen listen before speaking). Allow the other party to speak, you cannot resolve anything if you are the only one who wants to have the last say.
b) Be fair to both parties regardless where you stand (you are the mediator), facts over feelings sometimes.
c) Remain positive always – this helps you to put things in perspective for the parties involved who cannot see it positively.
3. People are your business. Are you an introvert or an extrovert? What are your tips to introverts on resolving conflict in the workplace and/or personal life?
I am an introvert, I use to cringe when I was asked to speak to a big crowd or do presentation… not my kind of thing but I was forced to be fluid to adapt to situations, hence I consider myself an ambivert now.
I believe the only person I can control is me. I can control my feelings, emotions, reactions as such I let go of the fact I cannot control others. The first rule is letting go of anything you cannot control. Have empathy and compassion, which comes naturally for introverts. You use this to understand the situation of people and find the best solutions having the best interest of others in mind.
4. As the platform for women dreamers, what is your next big dream?
Striving to increase the credibility and create trust for the HR Professionals who are dealing with their people on day-to-day basis.
To support women in corporate to boldly achieve and go beyond – have a can do attitude and break the biasness
Thank you Thila for sharing your inspiring story with us! We are excited to have you in our global women’s network!
Bio: Thila Suppiah comes with years of working experience in Human Resource both Strategic and Operational roles. She has worked in many industries mainly in Manufacturing , FMCG, Automotive, Legal, Pharmaceutical, Logistic and Automation. She started as a IT for HR team for a company that’s was setting up their new HRIS system – she only wanted to work with computers and not HUMAN – this is what she informed her Manager. After that everything was history – she worked well with computer but even better with HUMAN. She has taken on many challenging roles which has required her to travel to countries stricken by riots, government bodies, challenging leaders, businesses and challenging people. She has coached many employees that she has worked with – developed talent management for high potentials, trainings focused on employees climbing the ladder to become better managers. She is very experienced in areas of Organisation Culture, Talent Acquisitions, Employee Engagement, Compensation , Industrial Relations, Employer Branding.