It’s not conflict, it’s context

You’d be surprised to know how many top leaders are conflict-avoidant. One might assume that having reached that level, they would feel comfortable navigating strife in the workplace.

But they are just like many of us. In fact, a benchmark study by CPP Global found that 89% of people in office settings let conflicts escalate and 67% even took extra measures to avoid a colleague with whom they had disagreed.

It’s unhealthy and we need to rethink the meaning of conflict.

Here is a common shift in belief I help co-founders make when navigating conflict: disagreements are rarely about the “facts” or “content” of the situation.

They are almost always about the “context.”

When in conflict, see if you can zoom out and ask the meta-question "WHY are we fighting about this topic?"

The true cause is often not what is being discussed. It is either about unmet expectations, lack of role clarity, or something else. Dig deep until you get to the root cause.

Spending more time talking about the facts is tempting, but will ultimately be draining and unproductive.

As Kenneth Noland said: “For me context is the key - from that comes the understanding of everything.”

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