Embrace Conflict to Manage it

It’s easy to see conflict in the practice and assume that it’s the reason why you’re struggling. However, conflict isn’t inherently a bad thing; after all, it exists in every practice. It becomes a problem when you ignore it, because that’s when resentment grows, communication breaks down, and the practice becomes reactive instead of healthy, aligned, and high-performing.

The good news is that you don’t have to let conflict consume your practice; you can manage it in a productive and healthy way!

Find Your Place on the Conflict Continuum

The Conflict Continuum is a concept that Patrick Lencioni champions, and it states that all teams operate somewhere along a spectrum, with Artificial Harmony at one end and Destructive Fighting at the other. Artificial Harmony occurs when we avoid conflict, and though it may look peaceful on the surface, underneath you’ll find frustration, unspoken concerns, and resentment. Practices that live in Artificial Harmony never resolve their issues, and those issues eventually express themselves harmfully through gossip, side conversations, or disengagement.

A healthy team lives in the middle of the continuum, and does so by engaging in healthy, productive conflict.

Create a Foundation of Trust

Before you can have healthy conflict, you need to build trust. Team members must feel safe to speak honestly without fear of punishment, judgment, or emotional backlash. Once that psychological safety net is in place, it’s the job of the leader to lead the way and set the tone for the team.

Remember, trust doesn’t happen on its own — it’s built in the small moments when people are vulnerable, and it’s reinforced with consistency, follow-through, and modeled healthy behavior.

Address Conflict in a Healthy Way

How you approach conflict is crucial, and with these strategies, you can ensure that you’re doing so in a healthy manner:

• Don’t let things fester. You want to address small things while they’re still small, because the longer you wait to address a problem, the harder it will get. Remember what Kirk says, “Ignored conflict becomes a crisis.”
• Assume the best. I like to follow Ted Lasso’s advice: “Be curious, not judgmental.” If you assume the best intentions instead of jumping straight to ill-intent, you can avoid a lot of conflict. There’s usually a good explanation for why something wasn’t done, so inquire respectfully.
• Keep conversations rooted in safety. It’s easy for conversations to devolve to accusations, but when you use tools like the Awareness Wheel, you’re able to avoid accusations. When used properly, it brings awareness to the situation and empowers you to maintain safe conversations.

Remember, avoiding conflict doesn’t solve anything — in fact, it creates bigger problems than the conflict itself. You need to encourage healthy conflict, but you cannot do so without a foundation of trust. Change starts at the top, so model the behaviors you want to see and create a practice where team members feel safe to express and discuss their concerns. When that happens, you open the door to a higher-performing team!

To learn more about ACT and how we can help you build a Better Practice and a Better Life, reach out to Gina!

Tune in next time as we explore the power of the weekly meeting!