Leveraging Productive Conflict Practice Areas
Places to continue growth and learning
Purpose: How to lean into difficult conversations to create stronger relationships and better outcomes.
Individual
Listen to WorkLife Podcast with Adam Grant. Check out the episode on Productive Conflict and share takeaways with a colleague or teammate.
Read: Encouraging Productive Conflict published by Team Building Portal.
Check out: Brené Brown On the Right Way to Argue at Work by Graham Winfrey.
Watch: Brené Brown’s film on Netflix - A Call to Courage. Notice how she is being as a leader.
Listen to an episode from the Leadership Communication Show with Michael Piperno
Check out episode: “Productive Conflict with Dr. Robyn”
Watch: TED Talk - How Great Leaders Inspire Action by Simon Sinek (18 minutes). Listen for how his message is reflected (or not) in the talk.
Listen to the podcast episode: “Why Conflict is Necessary and How to Manage It” with Amy Gallo.
Read Coaching Athletes To Be Their Best. Highlight ways you can authentically integrate motivational interviewing into your day-to-day.
Practice listening fully to those around you. Observe objectively and distinguish emotion and stories in what they say. Notice how this skill can be used as information to better communicate with your team.
Where is your well-being out of alignment? Take immediate action on the items out of alignment.
Review Brene Brown’s list of conversational Rumble Starters - phrases to initiate conflict. Pick two and use them in the next 48 hours.
When you are down - when energy, productivity, and performance is low - what do you need?
When you are up - when energy, productivity, and performance are high - what do you need?
Read the article How to Navigate Team Conflict by Toby Sinclair.
Check out any of the following books on productive conflict:
Getting Real: Ten Truth Skills You Need to Live an Authentic Life, by Susan Cain
Fierce Conversations, by Susan Scott
Radical Candor, by Kim Scott
High Conflict, by Amanda Ripley
Option B, by Sherly Sandberg and Adam Grant
Give and Take, by Adam Grant
With Your Team
With your staff, discuss how you can cultivate an environment of open communication and productive conflict.
Have a conversation with your team about how you can turn conflict and challenge into an opportunity.
Practice integrating two of the skills discussed in the session into your day-to-day. Share what you’re working on with a teammate.
With your staff, distinguish where you normally stop in staff conversations. Choose whether you want to go deeper.
Make a commitment with your team to not avoid hard conversations. Have a weekly check-in around topics that should be discussed.