Five reasons to get better at navigating conflict

#1: It shows you care.

Avoiding conflict doesn’t make it go away. Conflict avoided is conflict delayed, as the saying goes.

Showing up to conflict communicates: I care about you / this issue enough to have the difficult but needed conversations to change what’s currently not working.

#2: It surfaces the truth.

Does creating safety for participation and sharing of diverse views invite disagreement? Yes. Is that always comfortable? No.

However…great! Held well, we can now have a real conversation.

We can now work with what’s actually here, rather than letting it unconsciously get in our way.

#3: It invites true connection.

If we can’t have a disagreement, how connected are we really? If we are connected, some friction will be inevitable.

Friction handled generatively rather than destructively involves repair.

Navigating this well strengthens relationships.

It builds resilience and trust that all involved can share their views, and listen to other’s, and repair the connection when needed.

#4: It enables creativity.

Lack of meaningful dialogue signals dis-engagement, meaning less creative energy.

We learn and grow from difference.

Have some of your best, most innovative solutions or learning moments come from some uncomfortable discussions?

And when creative conflict is invited upfront, the decisions you make have sustainable lasting power and save everyone time — because you had the difficult conversation first, not 6–12 months into your process.

Now you have more energy to put into even more creativity, rather than figuring out what’s going wrong.

#5: It breaks down unhealthy power structures.

Creating participative cultures means people feel safe to share their views (even if they are different to others) and decisions are made more equitably.

When real engagement and participation is encouraged and honored, it’s hard to have stuck power dynamics, because all people involved feel they can own their power and strength to make their voice heard and participate in making change.

A question for reflection:

What’s made possible when we are a person around whom others feel they can say what needs to be said?