Conflict is not always a bad thing and should not always be avoided. In fact, sometimes conflict can be healthy, both physically and emotionally.
Consider the presence of a splinter. It seems like a small thing, but left unchecked it will fester and become a big thing. People have died from the poisons that developed from infections when splinters festered. But dealing with splinters requires intentionality. The decision must be made to take action. And there are times that splinters have penetrated deeply and require more than casual effort to extract. Sure there will be short term pain, as the splinter is pulled, but invariably that pain pales in comparison to what will be experienced after some festering.
There is always the risk of getting relational splinters whenever you bring people together. We may not always realize that a splinter has rubbed off, until some level of discomfort develops. But, more times than not our emotional brain, our gut feel, senses the splinter. Unfortunately, we have been taught to avoid conflict and told that time will heal all wounds. That is just not true, just like with a splinter. We may not see the damage at first, but left unaddressed relational splinters fester with time and produce poisons.
Recognizing the potential damage that can result from not addressing issues, leaders choose to embrace “healthy conflict”, recognizing that conflict in this context represents the pursuit of truth and the best possible solution.
The next time you are tempted to sweep an issue under the rug remember the splinter and courageously take action for the ultimate betterment of all involved.
If healthy conflict is a foreign concept to you and seems unnatural I would be pleased to help you adopt this powerful leadership concept for the betterment of your team and culture.
Herb Mast is an Automotive *Team Performance* Coach. He would love to assist you in implementing the principles and concepts presented above. He is confident that in the process you will enjoy a 10X ROI.
Click here to schedule a free no-obligation introductory consultation.