Are you causing unnecessary conflict as a leader?
Conflict in the Workplace
According to a recent Harvard Business Review study, 85% of employees experience workplace conflict. That is almost 9 out of 10 employees experiencing and struggling with some form of conflict. Even more problematic, over ¾ employees go to style to resolve conflict, which is avoidance! In an environment where the leading causes of conflict are differing personality styles and perspectives, with the vast majority of employees affected yet doing nothing about it, what is your role as a leader in this situation, and are you causing additional conflict?
Know your Style
It is essential that, as a leader, you understand how your personal style shows up in the workplace and where you can cause undetected conflict. This starts with your communication style and methods and can ripple through your organization's culture. As a leader, do you tend to be blunt and to the point, or do you spend too much time spelling out the details? Are you sending everything in writing when a quick phone call would suffice, or are you taking up the day with meetings that could have been resolved with an email? Understanding your baseline and tendency will give you the awareness of where you need to adapt and stretch as a leader to minimize the potential for miscommunication and misunderstanding.
How Do You Resolve Conflict
An open door policy does not suffice when the majority of employees avoid conflict. It’s essential to have a set cadence for 1-to-1s, asking probing questions, often twice! How are you doing, followed by how are you really doing, will often give a more in-depth and genuine response. Learn to assess your team. Understanding your style isn’t enough; you need to understand your team’s profiles, their motivators, what they value, and how you can best adapt to serve them.
Conflict Resolution and Prevention Begins with You
Leveraging tools such as REACH, you can better understand your style and your team's styles, and then lean into the correct type of proactive communication to ensure your team is not avoiding necessary, potentially difficult conversations. The sooner your team can build a culture of transparency and proactive resolution, the fewer tactful skills will be required to de-escalate conflict that has been stewing for weeks, months, or even years.
