How Leaders Make The Most of Complaints

You’ve got a clear focus on what matters most, and your team seems to work well together, but then you get a call. Hey, I need to talk to you about a conflict, a disagreement, a clash of personalities. What you do next will reinforce your leadership and influence or erode your credibility.

Team conflict can feel like quicksand and a distraction from your work, but it can also be an excellent opportunity for your team to grow. In this episode, learn the six steps that you can take to address conflict, effectively build healthy professional relationships and ultimately help your team maintain focus on what matters most.

How Leaders Make the Most of Complaints

(03:30)
So how do you address team conflict productively and make the most of complaints?  Well, there are six steps that you can take to address it, effectively build healthy professional relationships and ultimately help your team maintain their focus on what matters most. The first thing you want to do is reflect to connect.

(04:48)
Next, step number two is to gather information specifically using three quick questions.

(06:16)
Step three is to diagnose the situation. Figure out if this is an event or is it a problem that needs to be solved. Or is this one of the common types of team conflict?

(07:17)
Once the situation is diagnosed, move to step four which is to choose an appropriate solution.

(09:12)
After the solution is chosen, step five is to schedule the finish and determine what the next steps are for you and the people involved.

(09:57)
The sixth step to make the most of complaints is one of the most effective ways to help your team resolve conflict. Give your team the tools to have meaningful conversations with one another and the expectation that they will use them. The highest-performing teams aren’t shying away from conflict. High-performing teams have conflicts, and they embrace them. They understand that every disagreement is an opportunity to build relationships, improve results and that the conflicts aren’t always about them.

(10:25)
One of the most important tools you can give people to build this skill is the I N S P I R E method for tough conversations that I’ve shared in many episodes in the past. It’s a balanced approach to help your team members build their relationships while achieving results. You can find it by searching on our website.

(11:44)
Lastly, we have several follow-up questions from last week’s episode with Juliet Funt regarding a minute to think.

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