Workplace conflict can arise even when everyone involved has the best of intentions.
What's commonly considered "professional communication" encourages leaders to express their arguable opinions as inarguable facts. When combined with positional power, this style of communication creates a psychologically unsafe environment.
In response, colleagues feel the need to defend, explain, and raise their voices to feel heard--increasing the chances of an unproductive conflict. Alternatively, colleagues can go silent and disengage from work. Both strategies--silence and violence--create an unhealthy work environment.
When leaders speak arguably, they get resistance. When leaders speak inarguably they get safety, engagement, and results.
As the founder of Care Deeply Consulting, Christopher Arnold has curated a community of leadership coaches who want to see every leader be a force for positive change in the world. Together, they develop high-performance workplace cultures for people-first businesses by transforming all levels of management into highly-skilled leaders who drive employee engagement and greater business results. As a leader in the conscious business movement, Christopher has served as President of the Board for the Rocky Mountain Employee Ownership Center and as an organizer for B2B B Corps.
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