One Meeting Minute Thought for Your Week
Your pulse quickens.
The hair on the back of your neck begins to stand up and you are getting HOT.
It’s one of those meetings.
How do you respond?
Do you embrace the conflict as it builds?
Or do you shrink, step back, and let others engage?
Based on what I’ve learned from leading and attending thousands of meetings, here’s what I recommend.
Get used to conflict. It’s a natural part of leadership.
And, meetings – if they’re going to be productive and effective.
But that’s the problem with too many meetings.
Normal meetings, in many business cultures, don’t allow conflict.
Disagreements and debates are not welcomed. Even if they’re healthy and focused on the problem not on individuals.
We wouldn’t want to be rude after all.
We’re in the Midwest, for example.
And, we’re nice.
But people confuse being kind and confident as a leader with being nice.
The best leaders are kind and also embrace the right type of conflict.
The better you get at managing conflict and allowing (even inviting!) disagreements, the more effective your meetings will be.
It’s not easy.
It takes practice to manage yourself and others through the natural emotions and physical responses conflict brings.
But, healthy conflict can make your meetings exceptional, which means they’re productive and effective.
More Resources to Help You Build Your Career and Your Business
You may find agreement comes easy during your meetings. If this is the case, be on alert.
Consensus without conflict is a warning sign!
The next time everyone on your teams reaches consensus quickly, consider taking these 3 actions.
- Challenge yourself and your team
- Seek input from your customer (internal or external)
- Get feedback from your critics
This post on my blog shows you the process to introduce healthy conflict into your meetings and turn criticism from your harshest critic into valuable, positive input to help you improve.
✅ 3 Powerful Ways To Disagree When You Agree (click here)
And, this blog post with input from leadership experts Brene Brown and Janet Meeks will remind you that being clear and kind as a leader will sometimes introduce conflict – which is a good thing!
✅ Can A Kind Leader Be Successful? (click here)
And Now a Word from Our Sponsors
Check out the Connect Mobilize Deliver podcast (click here) where you’ll hear from leadership experts in a variety of industries.
You can also find it by simply searching for “Connect Mobilize Deliver” on your favorite podcast listening app.
That’s All for this Issue
It may be in your nature to avoid conflict. It’s good to be aware of this so you can manage how you respond when the tension is high in your meetings.
The reality is some leaders find it easier to embrace conflict than others. And that’s okay.
Just remember that conflict in your meetings, when managing appropriately, can transform your meetings into productive, effective working sessions with your teams.
Your meetings may not always be comfortable for everyone (including you), but people will know your meetings are where things get done!
Let’s lead with kindness and confidence!
Greg
Here are 3 ways I can help you when you’re ready:
- Get more free resources you can use today (Click here to Start)
- Improve on your own with digital courses (Click here to Improve)
- Accelerate your progress with coaching (Click here to Accelerate)
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