One thing I’ve learned about leadership, is that when a monkey plants itself on your back, it’s never going to voluntarily jump off. As a conflict avoider, I’ve carried my fair share of monkey weight. Growing up, conflict was not something that was ever dealt with constructively in my house. We lived under ‘Dad Law’ and children should be ‘seen but not heard’. As an adult, my conflict strategies tend to lean into the destructive approach of avoiding until I get so fired up that I retaliate. To handle tough conversations more constructively, I’m trying to pay attention to when things don’t ‘sit right’ with me and then ‘get curious’ with the other person about their intention so that I can head off the tough conversation before it starts to escalate. What are your strategies? Would love to hear them!
#leadershiptruth
