Why Leaders Fail to Resolve Team Conflicts—And What to Do About It?

What Does It Mean When You Can't Resolve Team Conflicts?

I’ll start with a line from the film 'A Bug’s Life' that I believe is very true, although many might disagree:

“First rule of Leadership, everything is your fault”!

Many leaders fail because they refuse to understand that they are ultimately responsible for everything that happens under their authority, whether directly or indirectly. Leadership and accountability cannot be separated.

In this article, I want to focus on a leader’s role in dealing promptly and effectively with conflict in the workplace. Let’s begin by looking at common “traps” leaders need to avoid:

It’s Not a Big Deal

Sometimes a conflict may start small, but if left untreated, it might escalate—just like health issues. Don’t judge the situation only from your point of view.

It Will Resolve Itself

Unresolved issues may calm down temporarily, but they will resurface stronger if not addressed. This is exactly like conflicts in relationships.

If I Dictate Solutions, the Problem Will Be Solved

What seems like a reasonable and viable solution to you may not work for others. If you impose a solution without addressing the needs of those involved in the conflict, it won’t resolve anything. Worse still, feelings of anger and frustration will linger. Avoid treating only the symptoms.

If I Ask for Help, I’ll Be Seen as a Weak or Incapable Leader

When your house is on fire, don’t you call the fire brigade? A good leader is confident and vulnerable enough to ask for help, find the right expertise, and access it when required. No one expects you, as a leader, to be an expert in everything!

So, What Does Effective Conflict Resolution Look Like?

1. Understand the Underlying Cause of the Conflict: A quick fix will only treat the symptoms. Often, what appears to be the problem is not the problem at all.

2. Understand Who is Involved and Their Role in the Conflict: Involving everyone who is affected is a good way to bring full resolution to the situation.

3. Understand the Needs of the People Involved: We all have internal needs as humans. The approach to resolving the conflict is to uncover those needs. Often, the people involved aren’t even aware of the needs driving their feelings and behaviours. Leaders with high emotional intelligence ask open-ended questions about priorities, expectations, concerns, beliefs, fears, and values. Finding common needs beneath the surface will bring the parties together.

4. Address the Conflict in Good Time: The longer the conflict remains unaddressed, the bigger it gets—just like a fire in a forest. When in conflict, it’s natural to seek support from others. If a conflict is left unchecked, what started as a disagreement between two individuals can quickly spread to others and ultimately jeopardise the entire workplace. I won’t go into the repercussions here (that’s a larger topic), but here are a few potential consequences: damaged reputation, employee turnover, legal costs, high absenteeism, and low productivity.

How you deal with conflict makes a big difference. People don’t leave jobs—they leave bosses. Personally, I’ve left three positions because of ineffective leadership.

Be the leader people love to work for! If you’re ready to transform how you handle team conflicts and become a more effective leader, book your free chemistry call today and take the first step towards building a stronger, more cohesive team.