It’s All Your Fault: High Conflict People High Conflict Behavior at Work with Michael Lomax
Feb 26, 2026
Michael Lomax, a workplace mediator with 25+ years resolving disputes, explains why high conflict behavior is rising at work. He discusses how trauma and stress show up, why leaders get emotionally hooked, and practical moves like the "calm before think" strategy, handling inflammatory team emails, and when one conversation won’t fix recurring patterns.
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Four Patterns That Define High Conflict Behavior
- High conflict behavior shows four predictable features that amplify workplace damage.
- Michael Lomax lists all-or-nothing thinking, unmanaged emotions, extreme behaviors, and a preoccupation with blame as the defining pattern.
Uber Driver Noticed Rising Anger
- A Vancouver Island trainer shared an Uber driver's observation that 'everyone is so angry' as a real-world sign of global reactivity.
- Michael Lomax used that conversation to illustrate widespread anger amplified by social media and role modeling.
Pandemic Exposed Issues In Our Tissues
- Pandemic lockdowns removed daily distractions and brought unresolved trauma into the open, raising reactivity in workplaces.
- Michael Lomax shares a trauma expert's metaphor of 'issues in our tissues' surfacing when routines stop.
