Leading Through Challenge

Even in organizations with a positive culture, situations arise that can be difficult to navigate. Effective leadership is critical in these times of duress. By actively working to improve your leadership communication skills and learning more about the most powerful conflict resolution strategies, you can help your team move through challenging situations and come out on the other side stronger than ever before.

Why Difficult Situations Demand Strong Leadership

Whether spurred by personality conflicts or philosophical differences among team members, difficult situations arise more frequently than you might prefer when you are leading a team. Strong leadership is key, in times of workplace conflict, to improving and managing team dynamics. 

One of the most common team crises that leaders face is reduced engagement among team members, according to popular job website Indeed. If they are feeling burnt out or underappreciated, their performance may slip. Their attitude in the workplace may become more negative or difficult to handle. In these moments, a leader is charged with improving team morale and creating a culture that reengages the entire team. 

While team crises might be unavoidable during your tenure as a leader, you may find that a proactive leadership approach helps you prevent some minor crises from occurring on a more regular basis. The blog Thoughtful Leader says proactive leadership requires:

• cross-training your team so that each team member can perform multiple roles.
• anticipating potential issues and developing proactive strategies to prevent them.
• involving your team in key decisions so that each person feels like a valued member.

Reactive leaders only address issues when they arise, whereas proactive leaders work in advance to establish a strong culture and anticipate potential issues, allowing them to prepare accordingly.

Understanding the Root of Team Conflict

If there is ongoing conflict on your team, take time to analyze the situation and determine the root cause of the conflict. Reactive leaders have a tendency to address the symptoms of the conflict in an attempt  to alleviate the tension as quickly as possible. On the surface, it may seem beneficial to quickly resolve the issue at hand and move on, but by avoiding the root cause, you are dooming yourself to repeat scenarios in the future. 

What Causes Team Tension?

Before you can begin leveraging the power of the leading team intervention techniques, you will want to understand what is causing tension on your team. According to communication agency ROI Communication, primary causes of workplace conflict include:

• Poor communication – A lack of clear and consistent communication can quickly lead to chaos in any team setting. When information is not properly shared with all team members, misunderstandings occur and conflict ensues.
• Personality conflicts – Any corporate team is going to include a wide range of personalities, and personality clashes are almost inevitable. In an age when people are increasingly divided, personality conflicts are quickly becoming one of the top causes of workplace issues.
• Poor delegation – When tasks are not equally delegated among team members, some may feel that their workload is overwhelming or more significant than that of another team member. Others may not feel like valued members of the team. In the event that there are not enough resources for everyone on the team to do their job, competition for resources may intensify among team members and lead to resentment. By effectively and fairly delegating tasks and responsibilities among your team, you can reduce the risk of ongoing conflict.
• Unclear job responsibilities – Each member of the team should have a clear understanding of their position. When job responsibilities are not properly documented or communicated, team dynamics can become chaotic, as people are unsure of their specific role within the team.

The Cost of Ignoring Conflict

The cost of ignoring conflict can be measured both concretely and anecdotally, and unresolved conflict can be detrimental to the bottom line of any business. Inc. Magazine reports that workplace conflict can cost US-based organizations up to $359 billion in paid hours each year, which is the equivalent of 2.8 employee hours every week. 

In addition, Global Mindful Solutions notes that unresolved workplace conflict can lead to:

• higher rates of absenteeism.
• increased legal costs.
• reduced sense of trust among team members.
• increased rate of burnout among team members.

Essential Leadership Qualities for Navigating Conflict

When you focus on your leadership development, you will be able to guide your team and effectively navigate any conflict that arises. Below are the essential leadership qualities required for navigating workplace conflict, according to LinkedIn: 

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and manage your feelings as well as the emotions of others, and it is considered one of the most important soft skills among 21st-century leaders. As a leader, you must be able to rely on your own sense of emotional intelligence in order to understand the perspective of all parties involved and develop a resolution that takes into consideration everyone's feelings and experiences.

Active Listening

Active listening rests at the core of professional leadership, requiring leaders to do more than simply hear the words that people are saying to them. Active listening is a skill that can be cultivated over time, and it plays a vital role in managing workplace conflict effectively. The website Verywell Mind lists these active listening techniques to better navigate difficult situations in the workplace:

• Remove distractions and stay fully present in the conversation while you are talking with a team member.
• Maintain eye contact throughout the conversation.
• Be aware of nonverbal cues throughout the conversation.
• Paraphrase and reiterate what was said to confirm that you understand what they are sharing with you.

Decision-Making Under Pressure 

As the leader, you are going to be the person that the team looks to for an answer, requiring you to be able to make swift, confident decisions in high-pressure situations. The ability to remain objective as you make these key decisions will help you navigate conflict while cultivating a positive culture on your team.

Step-by-Step Team Intervention Strategies

Regardless of the root cause of the conflict, you can rely on strategic team intervention techniques and conflict resolution strategies to de-escalate the situation and create an effective solution that benefits everyone on the team. Forbes offers the following steps to take when working to resolve conflict and navigate challenging situations with your team.

Step 1: Assess the Situation Objectively

Before taking any action, take a step back and evaluate the situation objectively. Maintaining your objectivity is crucial—it helps establish trust between you and all of your team members. As you assess the situation, consider any role that you may have played in this conflict and refine your leadership approach accordingly. 

Step 2: Initiate a Private Conversation

In the event that one person on the team has caused the issue at hand, first address it with them privately. Schedule a meeting in a place that will help them feel comfortable and confident, and approach the conversation with empathy. It's important to be direct and truthful, but by taking an empathetic approach, your team member might feel more compelled to discuss the situation with you at length.

Step 3: Facilitate a Group Dialogue

Once you have addressed any issues directly with team members, it's time to facilitate a group conversation. Depending on the circumstances, you may want to schedule a meeting in the office or virtually. For in-person meetings, if you want to take a more casual approach, you could ask the team to meet at a local restaurant. Getting the team together to engage in positive and productive conversation can foster trust and improve morale, plus enable everyone to play a role in the resolution.

Step 4: Create an Action Plan

After getting input from your team and evaluating the issue at hand, create an action plan. Once you have established a clear and direct action plan, transparently communicate the plan to your team. Consistent communication is essential to resolving workplace conflicts.

Step 5: Follow Up and Stay Consistent

Taking a forgive-and-forget approach is not the ideal way to address difficult situations in the workplace. Once the issue has been resolved, as a leader, you need to continue to follow up and ensure that the action plan is consistently implemented over the long term.

Leadership Communication Skills That De-escalate Conflict

Communication can play a pivotal part in de-escalating tense situations in the workplace. Consider these leadership communication skills for conflict management:

• Use “I” statements when speaking with your team.
• Regulate your emotions and maintain a calm tone when talking about the conflict.
• Encourage feedback loops that allow for ongoing management of the issue.

Preventing Conflict Before It Starts: A Leader’s Checklist

As a proactive leader, you can rely on these tips to help prevent the most common workplace conflicts from occurring in your team: 

• Foster psychological safety.
• Clarify expectations early.
• Encourage team bonding activities.
• Model respectful behavior.
• Recognize and reward collaboration.