Let’s conflict!

What do you see? I see a world in search of sustainability, clarity, peace and security, holistic future and environmental concepts and their realisation. A list I could go on for hours.

The need for ideas, for the courage to be clear, the focus on solutions and consistent action is great. And yet, too often people deliberately act in an unclear and thus noncommittal manner, fueling insecurities, looking at what is divisive and penetrating cherished ideas. The result is often insecurity and a lack of acceptance, a counteraction instead of a togetherness. As if there could still be consistent individual solutions in this day and age and overarching challenges could be solved in detail-loving perfectionism and against each other.

We seem to have forgotten how to ask the right questions, how to really listen, how to focus on essential goals and, above all, how to look for solutions together. In my opinion, shaping the future today means reflecting openly and honestly, struggling and arguing for the best solution in the team and as a team. It means creating a culture of cross-cutting cooperation and effective leadership to tackle the big challenges, to courageously try new solutions together and to learn from mistakes.

Lack of conflict competence celebrates the status quo, the ego, focuses on the problem and not the solution. Lack of conflict competence undermines overarching cooperation and effective leadership.

We should learn again to be mindful of each other and to argue constructively and manage emotions. But it also means being clear, drawing boundaries and acting consistently. It means focusing on a common solution and winning my conflict partner over to it. To do this, we first have to get away from ourselves, away from defending our own point of view, towards the conflict partner, in order to have the chance to understand the conflict better. Arguing constructively means taking the other person seriously. We have to learn again to really take the other perspective and to look for common ground and not just pretend. Constructive conflict behaviour is exhausting, costs time and nerves. We have to overcome our insecurity in conflicts and take action.

In this sense: Let’s argue constructively for all it’s worth. Let us act with appreciation. Let’s take our time and approach conflicts proactively, let’s make the first step. Let’s listen actively, let’s ask questions in order to understand better and create more clarity. This is how we earn the trust of our conflict partner to be truly interested in a joint solution. Let’s talk about our emotions and what they do to us and the conflict. Let’s see conflict as an opportunity for further development! Let’s conflict! Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)