"When Leaders face Conflict in the Workplace" by Jan Robberts

When Leaders face conflict in the workplace

Conflict in the workplace can be very stressful and frustrating for a leader. It can disrupt team dynamics, decrease productivity, and lead to a negative work environment with absenteeism, turnover, animosity amongst the workforce going through the roof. Additionally, resolving conflict can be time-consuming and require significant emotional labour on the part of the leadership team.

Leaders may also feel a sense of responsibility for the conflict and feel pressure to find a resolution that is fair and satisfactory to all parties involved. This can add to the stress and frustration of the situation.

Conflict can also be challenging for leaders because they must balance the needs and interests of multiple stakeholders, including team members, clients, and senior leadership. This can require a high level of emotional intelligence and communication skills, which can be difficult to navigate in the midst of conflict.

With the world getting smaller all the time, people move much easier from one country to another. Also, working via electronics such as Zoom, Microsoft Office, and Google Meet, has also added to the fact that it is much more usual now, than several decades ago, to have a large cultural diversity in your organization.?

This requires Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion training and awareness at a whole different level to be able to navigate through some of the ‘cultural minefields’ that now present themselves.

A leader’s desire for a positive and productive work environment where team members communicate effectively and work collaboratively towards common goals is always a priority. They want to ensure that their team is functioning at their best, and that conflict is managed in a way that supports this goal.

Leaders may also desire to create a workplace culture that values open communication, transparency, and constructive feedback. By doing so, they can help prevent future conflicts and create a more positive and productive work environment.

The main limiting belief of a leader when there is conflict in the organization is often a belief that conflict is inherently negative and should be avoided at all costs. This belief can lead to a reluctance to address conflict directly or to take action to resolve it, which can exacerbate the situation.

Leaders may also hold limiting beliefs around their own ability to effectively manage conflict, such as believing that they are not skilled enough to handle complex interpersonal issues or that they lack the authority to make decisions that will effectively resolve the conflict.

Additionally, leaders may hold limiting beliefs around the impact that conflict resolution may have on the organization, such as a fear of negative consequences or a belief that the conflict will simply resolve itself without intervention.

To overcome these limiting beliefs, leaders need to shift their mindset and recognize that conflict can be an opportunity for growth and development. By adopting a growth mindset and building their conflict resolution skills, leaders can effectively manage conflict in the organization and create a more positive and productive work environment.

When conflict occurs in the organization, it is often not clear and dry cut of what exactly the problem is, who is involved, and why the issue developed in the first place.?

Apart from the need for EQ, this also requires people to open up and talk honestly to someone in the organization they can trust…and that could be another major part of the challenge in the first place.?

Open door policies are a great idea, but how often is that door open but the perception of employees is, that the mind inside that room is shut?

When conflict occurs in any organization, it requires a strong leadership team to provide the right solution in the shortest possible time-frame, to minimise any destructive behaviour to jeopardize an otherwise positive work environment.

Ultimately, leaders want to create a work environment where everyone feels valued and respected, and where conflicts can be resolved in a way that supports the overall goals of the organization. Achieving this desire requires strong communication skills, emotional intelligence, and a commitment to fostering positive relationships within the workplace.

Find out more about how the Leadership Gamification Tool we use, can powerfully engage your Leadership team, on a path of solution focussed conversations.

Written by Jan Robberts

Co-Founder of Ki Leadership Institute Pty Ltd

Contact: [email protected]

More about Jan Robberts

Founder of Ki Leadership Institute & JRs Speakers Club. He is known as a Global Influencer, and self-leadership strategist. He is well recognised as an International Leadership Keynote Speaker, Coach, Behavioural Analysis Consultant & Values Based Leadership Specialist. He uses the powerful Values Driven Transformational Round Tables to stimulate Self Learning, personal development and life-long learning abilities within every individual.

As an intentional leadership coach for the last 14 years, he has discovered tools and techniques to realign positive growth, personal development, confidence building, powerful communication, and self-leadership, for individuals in their personal lives, their businesses and their social environment.