Previous articles on the topic of leadership have reviewed the characteristics of leadership, and how to effectively assess your leader. Today we’re going to tackle a more challenging topic. The "fear of conflict" and the dysfunction this can bring to your team. Realizing that conflict is simply two or more people sharing a different opinion helps to bring the issue into focus.

Take a moment to reflect upon your experiences with conflict in the professional realm. You have most likely experienced unhealthy (and sometimes emotionally painful) conflict, and you've hopefully experienced healthy conflict. Patrick Lencioni, in his book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team discusses the topic of conflict in great detail. Lencioni notes that "the higher up you go in the management chain, the more you find people spending inordinate amounts of time and energy trying to avoid the kind of passionate debates that are essential to any great team." A fact of life is that teams are going to disagree; the manner in which the leader handles disagreement is essential to the health of your team.

Unhealthy conflict stings with personal attacks and hurt feelings, ultimately leaving behind unresolved issues and dangerous tension for the team. Teams that experience this type of conflict are typically managed by leaders who avoid challenging discussions. Conversely, leaders who encourage these discussions, and effectively manage the conversation to stay on point, promote healthy dialogue leading to healthy conflict resolution. Consensus, as opposed to unanimity, is imperative in this environment.

According to Lencioni, teams that engage in healthy conflict enjoy the following: lively, interesting meetings; they extract and exploit the ideas of all team members; solve real problems quickly; minimize politics and put critical topics on the table for discussion.

As addressed in previous articles, the board may encounter conflict with the CEO when lines of authority and empowerment are not clear. Other areas of potential conflict for the board may include revision of the mission and purpose statements and expansion of medical services. Boards may feel that the CEO should not witness conversations where the members disagree. However, your demonstration of healthy conflict will provide a great example to your CEO of how he/she should handle conflict within the management team.

One final suggestion would be to anticipate points of potential conflict and be proactive to manage these head-on. This may include one-on-one conversations with other board members to help them prepare for challenging discussions in the board room. Your personal experience in both healthy and unhealthy conflict may be the greatest tool you bring to the table.

There are many organizations that specialize in helping boards navigate the challenges of healthy conflict. If you find that you’re involved in conflict that is overwhelming considering bringing in a consultant to help reach a healthy resolution.

Darlene Norberg is a SOHL National Consultant for Focus on the Family