Embracing of conflict is such a powerful the concept…”it invites a conversation”.
For me Embracing Conflict is all about inviting a conversation! Years ago, I listened to a Best Managed business leader speak on a similar theme “Provoking your Customer” and his thought was that Provoking isn’t a negative action but rather a necessary action to see what potential lies within that customer. In other words challenge the status quo. Be significant with that customer!
Interestingly, I ran into him, Dave Wall, of NORPAC Controls at a function recently and told him that I was using his example of “Provoking your Customer”.
He then added that early in his leadership his tendency was to close his eyes and hope that the problem or conflict with staff and or customers would just go away. Like a lot of us he knew that eventually you have to face these problems. So over the years he developed this concept to tackle problems head on…embrace them! He also realized that this concept of provoking his customers was an extremely powerful concept. He knew that he wanted his B customers to become A’s and when provoked if they didn’t measure up and have the potential then he would let them fall to a C. It was better to learn early on which customers were going to get his company where he needed it to go and that meant getting his people to spend time on the B’s with potential.