Bill Taylor - Author of the Book "Managing Sports Conflict" & Founder of the Sports Conflict Lab

Bill Taylor is the author of the book, Managing Sports Conflict, and the founder of the Sports Conflict Lab which helps sports professionals navigate conflict, elevate leadership, and build cultures that win with integrity.

Over a remarkable 28-year coaching career in track & field and cross country, including 22 years as a collegiate head coach and administrator, Bill’s leadership has produced a National Championship (NAIA), 16 Conference Titles (12 NCAA Division I, 4 NAIA), and 28 Coach of the Year honors.

On this episode Mike & Bill discuss why conflict is unavoidable in sports and relationships. Taylor explains how a difficult conflict led him to study conflict management more deeply. He introduces five key tools: managing emotions, communicating effectively, looking below the surface of stated issues, seeking win-win solutions, and following through to build trust. The conversation applies these tools to common coaching challenges such as playing-time discussions, team accountability, emotional parents, and maintaining a strong culture. Taylor encourages coaches to stop avoiding or improvising through conflict and instead establish clear expectations and a deliberate conflict-resolution process.

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You will definitely want to grab your notebook to jot down some ideas as you listen to this episode with Bill Taylor, author of the book Managing Sports Conflict and the founder of the Sports Conflict Lab.

Website - sportsconflictlab.com
Email - bill.taylor@sportsconflictlab.com
Twitter/X - @Sports_Conflict