LEADERS - PLEASE, DON’T
FEED THE GOAT! BE THE GOAT! MANAGE CONFLICT.
Huh? Well, you know goats are
known for eating everything! They are curious, lively animals known to
eat grass, trees, and even tin cans and clothing, on occasion. But, just
because they will eat it – it doesn’t mean you should feed it to them.
Outside the farms in office cubicles everywhere in business life, the most
frequent kind of goat found is the variety called the scapegoat. Commonly
used in conflict situations, a person or group who is unfairly blamed for the
problems of a team. The appearance of this sometimes elusive animal
requires that a group engage in ongoing competition and unending arguments and
a leader that avoids conflict, unwilling or unable to step up and move the team
forward with a process for resolving the issue.
Why? Well, sometimes it can
be difficult and every leader has a naturally preferred style for approaching
conflict - and your preferred style just won’t work in all situations. No
style is good or bad, each has its pros and cons, but each works most
effectively in the context of certain conditions. So effectively managing
conflict requires a great deal of self-awareness, the ability to think about
the situation you are in, and then the flexibility to adapt your approach to
meet the situation and a process for responding effectively.
"For good ideas and true
innovation, you need human interaction, conflict, argument, and debate." -
Margaret Heffernan
Every team experiences conflict, it’s
a normal part of team development and can be healthy when managed
appropriately. Leaders who effectively resolve conflict are the GOAT,
"Greatest Of All Time" (Internet Slang.com).
By
Saundra Stroope, 28 September 2015
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