I can’t think of one person I know that loves conflict. Let’s be honest, it’s uncomfortable. However, conflict is a crucial part of leadership. And there are ways to address conflict that provides growth to everyone involved in the situation.
Last year, I had more conversations than I can count about cowardly leadership. These were not necessarily with HPC clients, but with people in general – family members, friends, colleagues, etc.
As I write this post, I want to reflect on leaders I’ve encountered in my career, ones who avoided conflict at all costs. I’ll also offer tips for moving away from cowardly leadership.
First, check out this article from RonEdmondson about 7 Characteristics of Cowardly Leadership.
A family member who confides in me about his work environment has a manager who has great potential as a leader. However, he avoids addressing issues/conflicts. For example, one employee is suspected of making choices on the job that results in an unsafe work environment for everyone involved. It has been going on for years. I consulted Lorrie, our legal guru on staff, about the situation. She gave me the best tips to share with my relative. Number one was documentation and two was addressing the issue at hand, i.e., not avoiding conflict. These actions allow the leader to address the situation and make choices that show all employees they care about their well-being above the organization or avoiding conflict.
The second leader I want to share about is someone I encountered in my work career. As a manager, “Hannah” seemed to have a personal conflict with a direct report. She just did not see eye to eye with the employee. She pushed for an assessment and feedback session in an effort that seemed to blindside the employee. As a result, nothing was resolved. My recommendation was to provide feedback, develop an employee action plan and work through the issues to help the employee thrive (and grow as a leader simultaneously).
Leadership is hard, but it can be so rewarding as well. Here are some leadership blog posts from The Point Blog that offer great tips to growing your leadership skills:
Caring About Someone You Can’t See-Empathy in Leadership
4 Leadership Habits to Schedule
10 Books Leaders Need to be Reading
4 Reasons Why Bad Experiences are the Best Lessons in Leadership
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