Three Tips to Grow as Leader by Embracing Conflicts

Timothy J Pagliara
2 min readMar 16, 2021

Emotional Intelligence is a book authored by Daniel Goleman. He has brought out four major components of emotional intelligence: kind, gentle, self and social recognition, and self-management. Notably, many people have equated emotional intelligence with these four components and more so, getting along with other people plays a crucial role in managing relationships. While management might seem easy to some, you will have to deal with challenging conversations and learn how to manage conflict. Despite having a high EQ, creating an environment that encourages others to work with you is the right decision to make. However, you must be ready to face some setbacks in your management since you will not agree with everyone. While planning to stay out of trouble and managing conflict, you will need to read the signs and move with speed to ensure that you address the conflict in the right way that fosters growth, not for a specific group but everyone.

Although some consider leaders’ conflict management as a contradiction, the truth is that leaders will only get things done right when there is some level of conflict among the team members. People who have worked for a leader who tried their best to avoid conflict can attest to how horrible it can get. When these leaders prevent conflict, the problems aggravate, and the employee’s morale drops significantly. Additionally, leaders who avoid conflicts often lose the respect of their employees. Some leaders have had conflict management issues, but this won’t happen again if you follow several tips to guide you through the process.

Pause for a While

Although you might have an insight into a situation that would lead to a conflict, you must take your time to analyze the situation before making rushed decisions. Besides, if you avoid a conflict, you do not have to run into it but rather ensure that you make a full-proof plan.

Restructure the Conflict into a Negotiation

Many leaders have been caught in the middle of conflicts, and they get worked up quickly. However, you do not have to be stressed about the conflict, and you need to see it as an opportunity to enhance your negotiation skills. You will have to answer a set of questions before beginning the conflict resolution process more so you know what you want from the conversation or the situation at hand.

Mindset Change

Changing your mind towards what you might get out of the conflict is ideal for getting a solution. Healthy dialogues with the people you have brushed shoulders with are a way to get the best of a situation that many would want to avoid. It would help if you were open to learning new things rather than focusing on what you will get from the conflict resolution.

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Timothy J Pagliara

Timothy J Pagliara is an award-winning financial advisor based in Franklin, TN. To learn more, be sure to visit Timothy’s website: TimothyJPagliara.co.