Teams get off course. It happens. Even with good people and the best intentions. Sometimes a new CEO comes in and needs to turn things around to boost profitability; sometimes a C-level executive needs to change the product mix or the team can’t get its head and heart around the new approach; and sometimes the team (for an unknown reason) is simply not as productive as they could be and needs to improve results. In these and many other cases like them, it is not so complicated.
Forget everything you have read about succeeding in a new leadership position. Forget about making the first 100 days a success. Forget about having the right team in place – that is not what is going to make you succeed. Forget about leveraging all that you know from your time in the industry.
Christopher Mikkelsen – Founder and CEO, Refugees United
One of the reasons our mind gets fooled with optical illusions, like the picture below, is that there is a .1-second delay between seeing an object and your brain being able to decipher it. While that seems like a short time, it is enough time for your brain to fill in the blanks with what it thinks it sees. Even if it is not really there. Many leaders do the same thing with their… Read the full article >
Managing conflict is difficult enough, but when you add important aspects of diversity such as race, gender, sexual orientation, age, culture and others it can get even more complicated.
When there is similarity between 2 people, even if the conflict is strong, we have a good chance to resolve the conflict successfully. However when we are different, it gets complicated.
Amounts of organizational power are based on the groups we belong to. A simple example is level… Read the full article >
If someone disagrees with us – part of the frustration in the conflict comes from feeling like the other person doesn’t understand. They are not listening.
Lack of listening of either side escalates conflict. Before you tell them you disagree or make your point again, a small bit of listening will go a long way to increase understanding and reduce conflict.
Jim Haynes, former NYC policeman, sees it this way. Jim worked for 13 years in law enforcement on… Read the full article >
It is often not the facts or figures which are the problem in conflict: it is the emotions. Depending on the personalities, situations, power-differentials, topic and skills of each party, conflict creates a wide range of personal emotional reactions.
Take the situation of a difference of opinion with your manager about your performance. The facts may be unclear if you met your manager’s expectations. Expectations are subjective and may not have been outlined specifically. Add to that, your manager… Read the full article >
Over the years, working with many leaders and teams experiencing conflict, we have found that there is a simple structure, when kept in mind, increases success in conflict situations. The steps are:
1. Understand the Issue 2. Set a vision 3. Explore Alternatives 4. Agree on Action
With that said, it is hard to always follow it perfectly. It is meant as a guideline to address the key aspects of conflict situations. These 4 steps is… Read the full article >
Before we blame conflict on others, we must look at ourselves to see if we have what it takes to address conflict. Conflict is not for the faint of heart. Some of the attributes of good conflict handler include:
*Courage – Conflict always involves potential misinterpretation and hurt feelings. It takes courage to walk calmly and deliberately through the ambiguity and try to resolve it