Wilson Students Learn to Lead Through Conflict

Wilson College held the second event in its Strategic Seminar Series, focused on Conflict Management, on November 5, 2025, as part of its annual Career Week. The Q&A style session welcomed attendees from the Wilson campus and local community, offering an opportunity to engage with panelists from diverse professional backgrounds who shared insights on navigating workplace conflict. 

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“The purpose is to talk about leadership, not just in a business context but in your everyday life,” said Lance Cain, D.B.A, director of business and assistant professor of business. “We all experience conflict from time to time, so we want to have a discussion about what that looks like in everybody’s life.” 

In spring 2025, Cain teamed up with Mindy Guinard, director of nursing and health sciences, to collaborate on the first Strategic Seminar. Their partnership highlighted the relevance of leadership and conflict resolution in every discipline. 

Linda Boeckman, director of career development, joined Cain and Guinard in planning the seminar’s topic and selecting speakers, making sure to represent a variety of careers and majors. “We want to address challenges in the workplace that are relevant and help prepare students for the professional world,” said Boeckman. 

Guinard added, “I think it’s a benefit to each department by showing we all have common threads in our areas of practice.”  

The panelists for the conflict management discussion represented a range of industries, including health care, education, and law. Each speaker shared their perspectives on workplace conflict, including causes, and strategies on how to navigate these challenges.   

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Mike Cogliano, vice-president at WellSpan Health and president of WellSpan Gettysburg, said “As a leader, it’s very important to practice empathy.”  He stressed the importance of consistent, meaningful connection with your employees, adding, “Be empathetic, be understanding, and be sympathetic to whatever they're dealing with.” Building on that idea, Laura Stover, director of HR advisory services at SEK CPAs and Advisors and a board member for Habitat for Humanity of Franklin County, emphasized the role of the workplace environment when she said, “If you have a culture where people feel psychologically safe, which means they can be vulnerable, they can make mistakes, and they can ask for help, that’s when you have great discussion, creativity, and innovation.” When employees feel safe, she explained, they’re more likely to collaborate and less likely to experience conflict. 

Guinard hopes insights such as these will encourage students to think critically about leadership and provide the skills they will need in the future. “It’s also a great way for community members to see how eager Wilson students are to learn and network,” she said. 

Cain agreed and added that the seminars are great opportunities for students involved in leadership organizations on campus, like the Wilson College Government Association, to shine. 

 Another strategic seminar is being planned for spring 2026.