Dysfunction #2: Fear of Conflict
Last week we learned that only with strong team trust, can we engage in healthy conflict.
And why again is healthy conflict a good thing?
People have good ideas and bad ideas.
That’s the truth and I certainly have both too!
So healthy conflict is a must as it allows any organization to vet out ideas where through discussion via “pressure testing”, the good ones rise to the top and the bad ones disappear.
And that’s a very good thing in any company.
Now, what happens if there’s a fear of healthy conflict?
Well, a lack of commitment to any decided initiative is the result which is the next dysfunction that will be addressed today as we work ourselves up the chain.
Let me give you an example:
Have you ever been part of a meeting or team where you didn’t feel your voice heard? Rather, the leader of the group just barked out orders…
Then a team decision is made, but guess what?
You didn’t really feel bought into the decision and therefore were not totally committed to taking massive action to accomplish the game plan.
You have been there before, right?
I have.
Well, here’s the good news.
As humans, we can actually accept and get behind ideas with full commitment even if it’s not our original desire.
What’s the caveat?
You must feel heard, even if the decision doesn’t go your way.
As long as you feel heard, and even if your idea didn’t get the vote, you will still be able to commit to the direction since we have an internal pull towards “fairness”.
Meaning, if you were outvoted, internally you will be more accepting of the decision given its “fair”.
But the opposite is also true.
If you don’t fully feel heard, and the decision isn’t your desire, you will feel resistant and not fully commit to the initiative which has further consequences which we will discuss next week. How does this all tie together?
If you have trust, then you have a healthy approach to conflict where your team feels heard, and ultimately you will have team commitment, no matter the ultimate decision
If you doubt the truth to this, you are invited to jump on the next CAP L10…
Every L10, we “battle it out” on aligning systems and processes within the Fit Body Way. Candidly, most times not everyone initially agrees with the decision since there’s seemingly always a divided vote.
But guess what?
Each guy on the team feels they can throw their weight around and “get their opinion heard”. Each of us has a strong personality and a deep trust that Barrett has cultivated from his team…
So even if it’s not the direction we end up going for that specific teammate, we all get behind the decision as we feel empowered to let our opinions known, and onward we move!
That’s the type of healthy conflict and commitment we need to grow our location’s income through impact!
Is this making sense?
Onward!
