“I don’t like conflict!” How many times have you heard others say this or have actually thought or said it yourself?

The truth is, if you and others truly understood what Conflict makes possible you would absolutely embrace it and, as a leader, you would consider it to be one of the most valuable sources of your and your organization’s growth and success.

Let’s unbundle this notion in very simple terms…

Every organization is nothing more than groups of individuals who are in Relationship with each other and, more importantly, with anything and everything that the organization is involved with. This includes intangible and tangible things such as workmates, customers, vendors, goals, objectives, values, vision, work processes, equipment, parking places, roles, titles, and preferences. These, and more, are all part of the relationship stew that is the organization. To the degree that all of these varied relationships are working well the organization has a pretty good shot at being successful.

Why this is important to acknowledge is that conflict only appears when relationships are perturbed. And change of any sort will always perturb existing relationships. Therefore, the problem with change is rarely with the change itself. The problem with change is that it always involves a disruption in existing relationships. And people don’t like to have their relationships upended. It's this disruption – not the change itself – that is the source of conflict and it often results in things coming to a screeching halt or, at best, a grudging compliance that requires way too much energy and attention to sustain. Given this scenario, it makes sense that conflict would seem to be the one thing a leader would try to avoid. Unfortunately, a leader that seeks to avoid conflict is doing themselves, their people, and their organization an incredible disservice! Leaders are far better served learning how to quickly surface and leverage conflict rather than taking steps to minimize or avoid it. Let’s look at why this counter-intuitive “truth” is worth understanding.

Conflict produces friction. Without friction you’re simply spinning your wheels – nothing moves. If you've ever tried walking across a frozen surface you know what this is like. Friction provides traction needed for movement. Friction also produces heat and light. Heat is required to remove impurities from any melding/forging process. Enough heat will produce light and light contains information that can illuminate how things (such as differing points of view) can come together in a different way to produce something new, something better. Effective leaders need to master how conflict is used, how it is directed, and how it is structured.

Deliberately surfacing and addressing conflict isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s a delicate dance and it is something that high performing, growth-oriented leaders are willing to undertake.

You can learn more about developing the kind of leadership mindset that can transform how you and your organization handle change and growth – and the conflict that is always part of this process. Learn how to do this with greater elegance and certainty. Request a personal interview with me to see if joining my acclaimed, invitation only Leadership Mindset Mastermind makes sense for you. Simply follow this LINK to schedule an interview. I look forward to speaking with you.

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Leadership is the Art and Science of influencing relationships in order to co-create coordinated movement. It's what effective leaders do when they so firmly declare a possibility that it becomes a probability in the minds of their followers. Learn how to do this with greater elegance and certainty.

Here's what a couple of former clients have to say about Blaine's work...

• "I would not be ready for this role without your coaching." ~ Joy S. Powell, CEO, Springbuk
• “Blaine Bartlett’s ability as a coach to design process and content that are both elegant and effective, yet challenging and stretching, makes him one of the most impactful leadership coaches I’ve had the privilege to work with.” ~ Magdalena Mook, Executive Director & CEO, International Coach Federation (ICF)