How to Develop a Conflict Resolution Mindset in Leadership

Conflict gets a bad rap in the workplace. Early in my career, I believed conflict had no place in a healthy workplace. As I progressed, I realized that it was quite the contrary. The lack of conflict isn't a sign of a healthy work culture, rather it is an indication that important debates, discussions and differing viewpoints are being disregarded or suppressed. This insight revealed another key aspect: high-performing teams do not shy away from conflict. They embrace it, leveraging diverse opinions to drive optimal outcomes for customers. What sets these teams apart is their ability to handle conflict constructively. So how can this be achieved? I reached out to my friend Andrea Stone, Leadership Coach and Founder of Stone Leadership, for some tips on effectively managing conflict in the workplace. Here's the valuable guidance she provided: 1. Pause: Take a moment to assess your feelings in the heat of the moment. Be curious about your emotions, resist immediate reactions, and take the time to understand the why behind your feelings. 2. Seek the Other Perspective: Engage genuinely, listen intently, show real interest, and ask pertinent questions. Remember to leave your preconceived judgments at the door. 3. Acknowledge Their Perspective: Express your understanding of their viewpoint. If their arguments have altered your perspective, don't hesitate to share this with them. 4. Express Your Viewpoint: If your opinion remains unswayed, seek permission to explain your perspective and experiences. Remember to speak from your viewpoint using "I" statements. 5. Discuss the Bigger Objective: Identify common grounds and goals. Understand that each person might have a different, bigger picture in mind. This process can be taxing, so prepare beforehand. In prolonged conflict situations, don't hesitate to suggest breaks to refresh and refuel mentally, physically, and emotionally. 6. Know Your Limits: If the issue is of significant importance to you, be aware of your boundaries. For those familiar with negotiation tactics, know your BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement). 7. Finalize Agreements: Once an agreement has been reached, continue the engagement to agree on responsibilities and timeframes. This ensures clarity on the outcome and commitments made. PS: Approach such situations with curiosity and assume others are trying to do the right thing. 🔁 Useful? I would appreciate a repost. Image Credit: Hari Haralambiev ----- Follow me, tap the (🔔) Omar Halabieh for daily Leadership and Career posts.

Let's talk about something we all experience but don't always know how to handle: Conflict in the Workplace. I've been there, knee-deep in disagreements, and let me tell you, it's not a walk in the park. But through the years, I've picked up some strategies that have really helped, not just for me but also in developing other leaders in the organization. 1. Active Listening: The first thing is to truly understand what the other person is saying. This goes beyond nodding while planning your next counter-argument. It's about gaining a full understanding of the issue at hand. 2. Open Dialogue: Transparency is key. Creating an environment where everyone feels comfortable speaking their minds can nip a lot of issues in the bud. 3. Role-Playing: I get it, it can feel awkward. But practicing these scenarios can help you get better at handling real conflicts when they come up. 4. Teach Empathy: When leaders are trained to put themselves in the shoes of others, conflicts can often be avoided or more easily resolved. 5. Neutral Mediation: Sometimes you're just too close to the problem. That's where a neutral third party comes in, to give an unbiased perspective. 6. Self-Reflection: After any conflict, it's good practice to think about what you could have done differently. It's all part of the learning process. 7. Case Studies: Look at how other organizations have handled conflict. Trust me, you're not reinventing the wheel here... you can learn a lot from others experiences. 8. Outcome Focused: Remember what the end goal is. If everyone wants the same thing, figuring out how to get there is half the battle. 9. Regular Check-Ins: Keeping the lines of communication open can help you detect problems before they blow up into full-fledged conflicts. 10. Feedback Loops: After resolving an issue, it's helpful to revisit and evaluate what went well and what didn't. Continuous improvement is the name of the game. "The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall" - Nelson Mandela Have a Safe, Positive & Productive Monday! #LeadershipDevelopment #ConflictResolution #TeamBuilding #EmotionalIntelligence #ContinuousImprovement

Three hacks I recommend to my executive coaching clients before they go into a challenging conversation: 1️⃣ Ground in your values before you go into the conversation. Write down three words to answer this question: "How do I want to be perceived by the person I'm talking with today?" This is a fast way to check that your planned behavior aligns with your values. 2️⃣ Get curious. Google the "Ted Lasso get curious scene" if you need inspiration. Many times, conflict happens because two people simply aren't seeing each other. They get so stuck in their own perspective, fears, and hurt that they aren't able to see the other person's viewpoint. Go into the conversation with the intention of asking questions to better understand the person across from you. 3️⃣ Reflect the other person's perspective. Even if you disagree with someone, you can always make them feel heard. You can listen to them and "reflect" back what you hear them saying. Say: "Here's what I hear you saying. {Summarize in your own words.} Am I getting that right?" Reflecting allows us to help another person feel heard, and then you can present your own alternative opinion on the topic. We're always going to bump with other people inside our work lives and personal lives. We're all different humans with different perspectives, values, ideas, motivations, fears, joys, and needs. When we're different, we will naturally bump into others. Our goal isn't to prevent friction. Our goal is to make friction a useful tool for productive conversation. As long as we can see each other, we can move forward together. We can turn conflict into a trust-breaker into a trust-maker. I want to know from you, LinkedIn friends: How do you prepare for a challenging conversation with someone?

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐢𝐭. I’ve been seeing the same pattern lately—over and over again in coaching conversations: 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐩. It’s not always explosive. In fact, it rarely is. But it seeps—into decisions, meetings, morale. One recent example? A CTO and CRO locked in a quiet standoff over who would own the company’s AI strategy. On the surface, things looked fine. But underneath, teams were frozen—afraid to act, unclear on who to follow. Here’s what I tell every senior leadership team: Conflict isn’t the problem. 𝘋𝘰𝘥𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 it is. Handled well, conflict sharpens strategy and deepens trust. Handled poorly, it erodes confidence, slows execution, and breaks psychological safety across the org. So what do you do? ✔️ Align privately before you lead publicly ✔️ Establish clear norms for how you’ll handle conflict (before it gets messy) ✔️ Never make your team referee your disagreements ✔️ When direction shifts after debate—own it together Leadership doesn’t mean having no tension. It means knowing how to navigate it—so your team can move forward with clarity. #leadership #management #conflictmanagement #conflictresolution #psychologicalsafety