A Possible Sign of Stifled Creativity on Your Team

Is Your Team Creativity Stifled or Strong?

“I don’t do conflict.” When you hear these words from a job candidate, a teammate, a direct report, even a leader, you might rightly suspect that they’re saying: "I’m easy to work with," "I’m not likely to stir up trouble," "I’ll find the less fraught through-line to reaching our goal without drama!" Bravo! Such subtexts of this declaration portend laudable intents.

On the other hand, when I hear these words, I also get curious. In my professional experience in executive coaching or training sessions, when a sales leader or client-facing professional says, “I don’t do conflict,” I realize that these words may just as readily cloak an unconscious vulnerability under stress. It’s as if the other person is indicating this about themselves: “When a conversation begins to crackle with creative tension, I’ll shut down. When a colleague or client suddenly uses a sharp tone of voice or emphatic body posture, I’ll stop sharing and stop collaborating. When someone pushes back on what I’m saying or seems to judge what I’m doing, I’ll get out of the way of conflict by letting them have their way.”

Conflict in business is inevitable and even necessary. Creative tension is the lifeblood of innovation and progress and differences of opinion are a natural by-product of stirring up diverse thinking. They’re essential for exploring options and choosing the best actions going forward. So, if you or your teammates tend to avoid conflict at all costs, it can mean that you collectively risk forgoing innovation and well-vetted action plans.Without diverse thinking and differences of opinion, you might settle for status quo thinking (and results!) rather than risk 'rocking the boat'.

The Real Risk of Conflict Avoidance

The risks are especially high when participating in sales meetings with clients and in creative problem-solving sessions with colleagues. In the client-facing interactions, specifically, if your team is seen as the kind of trusted resources that shies away from a worthy moment of sparring (mano-a-mano, toe-to-toe, tete-a-tete); then clients on the other side of an objection or negotiation might think they can way you to their position. Simply by using intimidating tones or dismissive statements in their interactions with you. In colleague-facing interactions, if you or others back down too quickly from asserting a good idea, then the value of those contributions may be lost forever... and lesser ideas and outcomes may become the order of the day. 

The ProImpress Brief Case: Instead of avoiding conflict or ducking out of disagreements, I encourage job candidates, client-facing professionals, problem-solving teams and team leaders to learn to effectively navigate into creative tension, through conflict and differences, and out the other side* having collectively forged a new way of thinking or a better way to get things done. Of course, do so with care!

Next Up from The ProImpress Brief Case: Do NOT enter into tough discussions unprepared. We’ll look at ProImpress Tips for Navigating Healthy Conflict (and Identifying Unhealthy Conflict) @ Work.

*Shout out to #WinstonChurchill fans! “When you’re going through hell, keep going.”

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