Why Avoiding Conflict Is Killing Your Team’s Potential—and How to Fix It with Liane Davey
- Why Avoiding Conflict Is Killing Your Team’s Potential—and How to Fix It with Liane Davey Karl Staib 48:35
Join Liane Davey and me discuss the importance of healthy conflect in an organization. Liane Davey is the teamwork doctor. One of my favorite parts of this interview was when she explained her system of encouraging healthy conflict and the example she uses to explain how to work through the conflict.
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1. Importance of understanding different perspectives
Karl and Liane discuss the challenges of teamwork, noting that cognitive biases and the tendency to overemphasize our own reality make it difficult to truly understand others’ perspectives. They emphasize the need to create an environment where healthy conflict and tension can thrive, rather than avoiding conflict altogether.
2. Systematizing healthy conflict
Liane explains the difference between “productive tension” and “unhealthy friction” in teams. She outlines an Exercise to help team members understand the unique value they bring, the stakeholders they represent, and the tensions they are obligated to introduce. This allows teams to have constructive debates and discussions, rather than personal conflicts.
3. The three phases of decision-making
Liane describes a three-phase approach to decision-making: 1) Deliberation, where healthy conflict and tension are encouraged, 2) Implementation, where team members must “disagree and commit” to the decision, and 3) Evaluation, where the decision is openly reviewed and assessed. She emphasizes the importance of maintaining the right level of conflict in each phase.
4. Managing thought load and productivity
Liane shares her personal struggle with “thought load” – the combination of distraction, Anxiety, and Burnout that plagues many professionals. She outlines the systems she has put in place to manage her attention, anxiety, and energy, including a “Thought Load Planner” and various mindfulness practices. She emphasizes the importance of these strategies for improving productivity and overall well-being.
5. Closing and next steps
Liane provides information on how listeners can connect with her further, including her website, YouTube channel, and LinkedIn presence. Karl thanks Liane for the insightful conversation and offers to provide feedback or connect her with potential guests for his podcast.
Learn more about Liane Davey over at 3Coze. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn.
As always, if you have any questions or want to submit an amazing guest for the podcast, just reach out to me on the Systematic Leader website, and I’ll do my best to get them on. If you enjoy the interview, please take 30 seconds to rate the Systematic Leader podcast on your favorite platform. Thanks!