You know for a fact that conflict occurs in any organization or any group. It does not matter what size and how many members are there in one group. It could be 100, 10 or 2 members, conflict will bound to happen.
What about conflicts?
Conflicts exist everywhere and this problem becomes a lot harder if you are the leader of the group. Such a situation will determine if you are a successful leader capable of solving problems or running away from them. You need to have that voice that will influence your members. The first thing you need to do really is to lay it out in the open.
It is very much like washing your dirty linen in public. If you do not take it out, it will smell after a while because it is ‘hidden’. Even if you bring it out and leave it, the sight will be a sore-eye. You need to solve the problem! That is where you have to deal with the problem. If that is done, then the linen can be used again and it benefits everyone.
Don’t be a victim
One of the biggest problems that leaders have is being ‘victimized’ when it comes to conflicts. Fear and being afraid are some of the biggest issues. Leaders think that they do not need to resolve conflicts because they might go away or resolve themselves. After all, the natural reaction to facing problems is to ‘evade’ or to ‘run away’. If you want to be a leader who is respected, you need to be able to solve problems. Instead of feeling like you are victim, you need to look at it as an opportunity.
Tips on solving conflict
So, if you are able to face conflict face-on, then you are on course to solving it. In fact, there are some pointers that you could follow:
- Bonding – You need to be aware that you are working together and being positive here works. There is no need to really like the person. But you need to form a bond because you will be heading towards a common objective.
- Be Objective – This is where your leadership skills will now be crucial. Your sense of judgment becomes imperative because you will need to look at the problem and not the person. If you both can have a bond and not mix the problem and person together, then it would work to your favour.
- Talk, talk and talk – And you are not talking aimlessly. Talk without substance would only be noise. You need to have a proper conversation so that the conflict can be talked through and then resolved.
Its in your mind
At the end of the day, it is in your mind that you need to resolve the conflict. After all, you must want to resolve the conflict that will help you on your way into doing so. As the leader, you need to be open about this and then work towards solving the problem. If you are fearful and likes to sweep them under the carpet, then you are heading towards disaster.
- Solve the conflict as early as possible. A small problem can be easily solved but if you leave it as it is, it will escalate. When you do this, you need the people around you to trust you
- Conflicts will exist whether you like it or not
- You do not need to be brave or courageous to face the conflict head-on. You just need to be able to do this. And to do this, you need the mindset to get there. It is really in your mind. If you have the determination to solve the conflict, then you will solve them as soon as possible. Not leave them.
