I don't know anyone working in business today who hasn't experienced conflict....you know, the uncomfortable kind. And there is a vital added value aspect to conflict as well. We'll explore both sides along with tactics that lead to successful outcomes. And by the way, women experience it differently, so having it work for you instead of against you is a strategic necessity to your leadership arsenal.
ThriveWithNancy Podcast addresses the tricky points you run into daily as a woman executive. Nancy Fredericks shares all the secrets she's acquired as an experienced thought-leader. She's passionate about sharing practical, insider solutions with women executives to tap into on your way to achieving all of your career hopes and dreams.
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Speaker 1:
Hey, I don't know about anyone else, but I would be willing to bet that there isn't anyone working in today's business environment who hasn't experienced conflict. Would you agree with me? You know that uncomfortable kind, not surprising as C C P Global Human Capital found that 85% of employees at all levels experience conflict to some degree. However, there is a vital added value aspect as well will explore both sides for you to generate a healthy relationship moving forward. Keep on listening. This wide sweeping topic impacts every aspect of your career from now until you retire. Hey everyone. Welcome to Thrive with Nancy. This is a podcast dedicated to you, an executive woman ready to realize all you intend to be. Our podcast today is, conflict has two opposing faces because it does more often than not, we tend to focus on the harmful aspects that cause executives distress and angst and according to research, women's struggle most with the emotional aftermath of a clash such as this with nearly 64% of executive women emerging from a conflict with negative emotions as opposed to 48% of men. So it triggers something different in US than it does in men, and it's emotional. What's the upside of conflict? Because there is one new ideas. Friction without exception, friction is essential in a dynamic, thriving environment where growth, transformation, new products, services and progression is the name of the day and foundational for profitability. I bet the word conflict isn't the first term that comes to mind when you're thinking about innovation, but such an environment produces a vibrant, dynamic work ecosystem where everyone thrives, including you. Innovation depends on mental wrestling. As each participant advocates their ideas over those of their team members, with over 90% of innovation projects failing or never surfacing to the light of day, establishing such an environment is essential and increases the number of diverse concepts available, and it improves the results all of you achieve, especially when 81% of participants in the US see disruption leads to a positive outcome. Without question, conflict employed in the creation process is an essential stirring up of the pot energizer. There isn't any such thing as a conflict-free work environment anyway. How you choose to respond tells the tale. Is it becoming crystal clear that productive working relationships are crucial to your work satisfaction and generating a healthy, profitable company culture? Surprisingly, the advice to master either side of the conflict equation is much the same. How you translate these suggestions to turn discord into positive force is up to you in all likelihood. Interpreting them into action is gonna look significantly different and dissimilar. As we're all unique, don't be afraid to try them out. I'm confident that a few, if not all of the four ideas I'm gonna be talking about will become foundational to your ongoing career success. First overlapping agreement. The wisdom of Stephen Covey's advice seek first to understand before being understood is crucial in conflict or creation. Opening the process with this principle allows you to uncover common ground from the very get-go. Progress begins by building either a new relationship or product process, concepts on these agreed areas and principles that you've established. Second, get your head straight, deeply seated. Emotions often and more often than not produce negative responses. Yes, excitement over a Ned idea or a well-executed plan engenders comradery. Where it goes awry is when opposition enters the interaction. Then it does more harm than good. And we all know this from experience. Sit back now is when Stephen Covey's advice pace big dividends. You've gained a vivid picture of the other person's position or objections with sensitivity, appreciation, probing, sharing, and flexing with integrity by everyone involved. You'll come up with new beginnings for broken relationships or innovative breakthrough ideas. Third, hang in<laugh>. Overcoming conflict and diverse positions is never, ever easy, so don't stop until it is complete because it's only gonna get worse unless you correct it. Now, it requires patience. Putting personal feelings aside, giving up defensiveness and trying to prove the other wrong, hanging onto the idea you are right and the other wrong is deadly to a positive, healthy outcome. You only build bridges by realizing the validity of others and acknowledging it. Fourth perfection is not the goal. Pursuing a flawless solution is a futile effort. Instead, you're looking for the best concepts for your company or your workable business. Relationships. Keep going until you find something that works for all of you. Hey, there is one advice difference between the two faces of conflict to consider and really be very diligent about this. Often when it comes to clashes between two employees, what you're seeing today is merely a symptom of a deeply seated past issue. So if you only focus on the current disturbance, you may resolve that flare up only to see something very similar, breaking down and popping up again. The question demanding to be answered in this situation of resolution is, did you ever feel this way before? Have you ever had a similar situation arise? Does this feel familiar to you? These questions have you drilling deeper to root out the real problem, promising long-term after effects. Remember, career altering ahas don't simply emerge through emotions alone. They demand that the thinking part of our brain buys into the idea and the data too. Let me wrap this discussion up by grounding it in some additional persuasive facts, and I have to tell you, the data is overwhelming when it comes to conflict. Emerging from a C C P global Human capital report that estimates the annual cost of workplace conflict in the US is 359 billion in lost time and productivity. Ooh, would I love a little bit of that added to my salary, wouldn't you? 29% of all employees said that they experienced almost constant conflict. 12% said they also saw conflict frequently among their leaders, and 56% of employees who experienced conflict at work reported that it led them to being overstressed, anxious and or depressed. Clearly, this isn't a great environment for you to work within, let alone having it be profitable for your organization. So this is relevant to you as an employee and it's also relevant to you as a manager. In response to the staggering statistics, one thing to keep in mind is that the more you practice overcoming conflict tactics, the more at ease, the better you address it and the more successful you become as a woman executive, then you overcome. One of the roadblocks pointed out for women in an S S R N research where they said situations involving conflict aroused greater anxiety and discomfort in women than men, and that women are more likely to avoid conflict. You know that our business culture today is overflowing with challenging battlegrounds that require handling as well as I do. No one can afford to dodge them, especially an executive woman on the rise. Are your head and heart now weighing in on making new responses regarding conflict moving forward? I hope so. Did any mental readjustments take place on your part? What do you intend to change or do to respond to negative conflict in a healthy, proactive manner? And how are you choosing to encourage positive creative debates that will improve the results you and your team produces ready to become more comfortable and master the two opposing faces of conflict? I sure hope you are because you get to decide to adapt. Will you? Are you ready to up the ante for you and your career? It really is time to explore your strategic edge at www.thrivewithnancy.com/executive. If you're interested in talking to me, click the link on the page to schedule a free working through your career concerns. Call you have nothing to lose, and I honestly would love to discuss how together we can achieve all you hope is possible and all you dream is possible. Remember, no one ever makes it to the top or even arrives at their next career destination.