Have I Failed As A Leader If My Team Has Conflict?
"I feel I've failed as a leader if my team has conflict. My role as a leader is to make sure my team doesn't have conflict. The moment it comes up I need to stop it. Because a high performing team doesn't have conflict, right?"
Nope, nope and nope.
I had this conversation recently with a senior executive who was uncomfortable at the thought of his team having conflict. His preference was to hide it under the rug, not recognizing he was creating frustration and causing the situation to fester. Which could have quickly been resolved with tools on how to embrace the conflict constructively. He began to realize he was failing IF he didn't help his team embrace conflict.
Conflict feels hard because it often involves entering a conversation and not knowing where it will go. With some prompts and a firm hold on communicating with respect, conflict can make you stronger as a team. Leaders need to exercise their teams and help them learn how to embrace constructive conflict...even making it a part of their operating rhythm. Fun fact: research shows high performing teams make more mistakes and have more constructive conflict than lower performing teams.
Do you embrace or avoid conflict?
