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Does confrontation scare you?

It has been a great week for me and my family. Our son’s wedding was truly a beautiful day, and we gained another daughter. I can tell they are very happy together, and I wish them a lifetime of joy! This week I came across an old article on confrontation by the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC). This article was titled, 11 Ways to Handle Confrontation (2016) With everything in life there will be ups and downs, and moments of confrontation. Confrontation is never fun, but it is something we must face in life and especially in our organizations we lead. When we fail to deal with confrontation, we take the risk it will affect the climate and culture of our organizations. People may even be less productive because of the environment we allowed to grow.

I will briefly share a few of the points from the article, but I encourage my readers to review the article in its entirety for better understanding. The first point shared by M. Gellis; is Don’t wait. Sometimes we struggle to address issues in a timely fashion. As we leave contentious moments to fester too long, they only build and cause more issues. I can identify moments where I let an issue fester and it allowed the problems to grow and create more issues. I believe this is something we learn over time and by experience. Sometimes what we experience may not be an issue for us, but others may preserve the issue differently. So, it is important to really understand the perspective of others and view the issue through their eyes. Another point, shared by E. Weed is Feel, then deal. We have our own personal feelings on an issue that is confrontational. We must allow time to understand and allow ourselves to deal with our thoughts on the matter. There are moments where I can remember being angry, but I could not allow that anger to pollute the relationship with an individual or the organization. We must address our feelings on the topic and plan an appropriate response.

Dealing with confrontation is always a factor for leaders. A point shared by J. Walla is, Remember it’s part of your job. We may not want to hear this point, but it is true regardless. As we take leadership roles, we are the individuals who must address the tough issues and have the hard conversations. We must get used to it, which is my next point from M. Samuel. Make friends with adversity. If we are really leading at a high level, we must expect there will be issues that cause confrontation. Good leaders deal with this swiftly and do it well. Lastly, another point from Wei-Shin Lai, is Identify your goals. We must have a goal or result when dealing with confrontation. We can only move forward when we have delt with the issue correctly and fairly in the eyes of everyone involved. I would also add, as a leader my goal is to have the best atmosphere for my organization and its people. See beyond to issue and have the health of your entire organization in mind.

How do you currently deal when confrontation arises?

What procedure do you utilize to understand both sides on an issue?

What are your goals when dealing with confrontation in your organization?

How are you dealing with your thoughts or feeling on a confrontational issue?

I Only touched on five of the eleven points shared by various contributing authors from this article. These points are ones I personally felt were the most important for me. When you review the article, you may find others to be more important for your situation. Confrontation is part of life. We all experience it and deal with it differently. My hope is when a contentious issue arises, you face it head-on and with grace. Whatever confrontations you are dealing with I wish you luck and hope they are minor concerns. Have a wonderful week, and thanks for checking out this week’s post.

Resource Retrieved From:   https://www.success.com/11-ways-to-handle-confrontation

Steven C. Bucks-Leading Conversations