Leaders Engage Conflict (Ep. 33)

Episode 33: Leaders Engage Conflict

 

1. Meet conflict head on

If you have ever been in any type of relationship, of any kind, whether business or personal, you have run into conflict. The question is, how do you keep those relationships intact and continue to get better through each of those conflicts?  

Clarify the expectations of relationships.

Conflict always arises out of a lack of expectations being met.  

As a leader, it’s important to both clarify expectations and understand the expectations that your people have for you. 

Always give the other person the benefit of the doubt. 

Leaders never jump to negative conclusions. They don’t look for the worst in people, but instead they look for the best. 

When meeting conflict head on, do it quickly, with good intentions, and if at all possible, apologize right away for whatever you did wrong within that situation to cause the conflict.  

 

2. Meet conflict honestly

If you really want to fix any kind of conflict in your life, you have to be able to do it honestly.  

If you get close to gossiping about somebody else, you are already on the wrong track.  This is the worst possible thing you can do in a situation that has conflict. 

Leaders don’t gossip, and they don’t criticize.

Negativity brings on frustration, and sends the situation into a downward spiral.  Honesty helps to keep your reputation as pure as possible, and will definitely show others that you are making progress by choosing to both be honest, but steer everything towards positivity.

 

3. Meet conflict face to face

Give people the courtesy of meeting with them face-to-face. This goes for big conflicts and little conflicts, alike.

We need to hear people, we need to see them.  We need to get as much of the experience as possible.  Yes, it is uncomfortable for you, but if you really want to hit the conflict head on, do it face-to-face.  

Bad communication is always better than wrong communication. 

You can always go back and have another conversation.  

Whenever something is positive, there are several means of communication. Whenever you are dealing with something negative with any of your team members, do it in person, and at the very least over tele-conference or the phone. 

Never try to resolve conflict using formats that are non-interactive.  

 

MO’s Final Thoughts

Leaders are paid to deal with the hard stuff.  You are the one person who cannot shirk that responsibility.  You want to engage conflict, and do it early.  So, when conflict comes, do not avoid it.  Always face the problem head-on, and do it right away.  Be clear, and concise, and talk about expectations that were missed, and move quickly to alternatives to make the situation better.

Leaders do not allow stuff to fester and get worse.  Keep the problem contained, and don’t let it infect the culture of your team or your company.  Keep the reputations of your people in the company in mind, and always make everybody better for having talked with you. The biggest problems always give way to the biggest opportunity to grow, both for the people who are in conflict with one another, and for the team as a whole.  You can do it!

 

Amazon Book Links:

 

The Road Less Traveled, M. Scott Peck - https://amzn.to/3x5xHUu

 

Special thanks to:

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