7 Ways High Impact Leaders Use Conflict

7 Ways High Impact Leaders Use Conflict

"If you become someone who can never compromise, you will forfeit opportunities to those who can." ~ John C. Maxwell

The greater your leadership ability the better you will be at using conflict. Low Impact leaders do not use conflict; they either avoid it completely or make it worse by being reactive. High Impact leaders understand that conflict can be used to strengthen the team and boost their influence with them.

High Impact leaders use conflict in the following 7 ways:

1. To earn respect – High Impact leaders earn respect by bringing those in conflict together instead of separating them as Low Impact leaders do. Their leadership ability allows them to effectively address and resolve the issue with the team. This naturally elevates the leader’s influence. As a result, there will actually be less conflict in the future. High Impact leaders intentionally reduce the opportunity for conflict.
2. To build trust – The minute a High Impact leader realizes there is a conflict they pause the conversation until all parties are present. By creating an environment where all parties involved in the conflict must be present before discussing an issue, those on the team can trust that there is no “closed door” talk taking place behind their back. This builds trust among the team because everyone knows the leader will do the same for them.
3. To grow those in conflict – By bringing those in conflict together, the leader is getting them out of their comfort zone, which is where all growth happens. The High Impact leader creates an environment that allows growth to come from the conflict. The leader enters the conflict and coaches those involved using thought provoking questions that facilitate decision making and problem solving at the source.
4. To model leadership – The leader takes advantage of the opportunity to model the ways in which a High Impact leader should deal with conflict. They model the behaviors that lead to resolution such as: calmness, listening, valuing others opinions, and seeking first to understand before being understood.
5. To coach – The High Impact leader doesn’t solve the problem and doesn’t tell those in conflict what to do to resolve the issue. He/she enters the conflict using questions that helps those in conflict find their own answers in a way that allows all parties to buy-in and support the outcome effectively. The goal is to reach a synergistic solution that everyone supports and helped create.
6. To eliminate bad mouthing – When someone blaming or pointing the finger at someone else approaches a High Impact leader to “tell them all about it,” and the leader says, “Wait a minute, let’s have the others join us before we go any farther,” most of the bad mouthing will stop. Most people don’t want to “talk to others.” They want to “talk about others.” A High Impact leader will take that option away.
7. To create synergy – A High Impact leader knows, when there is conflict, there’s always a third alternative. Therefore, the leader will ask those in conflict if they are willing to continue to communicate until they can all agree on a solution. Most often, this is a synergistic solution that no one had thought about before. It doesn’t have to be your way or my way. We can work together to do it a new and better way.

When it comes to conflict, High Impact leaders turn a negative into a positive. That’s what High Impact leaders do. They make things better. However, Low Impact leaders, that haven’t done the necessary work on themselves ahead of time, usually make the situation worse.

You can't hold someone back without staying back with them. You also can't lift someone up without going up with them.

Leaders are always making it happen, allowing to happen, or preventing it from happening. If you’re not doing one of these three things, someone else is leading. If things are getting better, the leader is responsible. If they are getting worse, the leader is still responsible.

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Mack Story

My passion is to help you live with abundance, achieve success, choose significance, and leave a legacy. In other words, I want to help you make a High Impact !

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Mack’s story is an amazing journey of personal and professional growth. He began his career in manufacturing on the front lines of a machine shop. He grew himself into upper management and found his niche in lean manufacturing and along with it, developed his passion for leadership. He understands that everything rises and falls on leadership.

Mack is the author of Blue-Collar Leadership Series, Defining Influence, & 10 Values of High Impact Leaders. He's an inspiration for people everywhere as an example of achievement, growth, and personal development. His passion inspires people all over the world! Order signed copies here.

Mack’s experience as a John Maxwell Certified Leadership Coach, Trainer, and Speaker includes an international training event in Guatemala with John as part of the Cultural Transformation in Guatemala where more than 20,000 Guatemalan leaders were trained.

Contact Mack at 334-728-4143 or [email protected] for Keynote Speaking, Corporate Training, Professional Leadership Development, Cultural Enhancement/Transformation, and Process Improvement.