Being a CEO has its perks, but there are also responsibilities that aren’t so much fun. Dealing with office conflicts is one of them. And if you run the business, you get to be the referee when people clash.
If you’re in a position that requires you to mediate conflicts, it’s important for you to understand your own conflict style. First, decide which of these fits you:
- Competing – You’re aggressive and don’t believe in compromise
- Accommodating – You give into what others want to avoid conflict
- Avoiding – You settle problems without getting to the root of the issue
- Compromising – You believe both parties must give up something to be fair
- Collaborating – You encourage open communication to find the best solution for all parties
Knowing how you tackle conflicts will give you a good idea of how you will react to different situations in the office, but you can’t always go with your instinct. For instance, people who tend to have a competing style of conflict resolution might end up causing more problems than they solve.
The best solution for conflict, whether it’s between board members, executives or company employees, is to address problems when they occur with open communication. This is easier said than done. To ensure that you don’t get yourself stuck in a game of “he said, she said,” make a point to handle all office conflicts with the same open, neutral style of discussion.
Resolving Issues Between Executives
Dealing with drama in the boardroom seriously impacts productivity, but it can have a major impact on your brand’s image, too. A major U.S. department store – I won’t name it here – recently learned its lesson the hard way and it’s stock suffered.
If you have board members or executives who can’t come up with a resolution on their own, you need to act quickly to make sure your company doesn’t start feeling the negative side effects. The best approach is to speak with the conflicting parties in a neutral area where both sides feel fairly represented. Make sure both sides understand their importance to the company and that the goal of the meeting is not to chastise them but to come up with a resolution that benefits everyone.
You might be able to lead this discussion, or you might feel it more appropriate to hire an outside mediator. Being close to either, or both, of the parties can cloud judgment or create feelings of favoritism.
Even One Employee’s Problem is the Company’s Problem
Settling a problem involving just a single employee might not seem as challenging, but it can still have a big impact on your company’s reputation. Human Resources or supervisors will handle most issues before you even know about them, but occasionally a CEO needs to step in. This is usually for more serious issues, such as a violation of corporate policy or defamatory social media posts. Your first instinct might be to fire the employee and remove the problem, but you would only make things worse, depending on the situation. Take a step back and evaluate the facts.
Remember that rank-and-file employees are just as important to your company as executives, and problems with both groups take the attention away from your business. The next time you have an office conflict, sit both parties down and hear them out, then find a solution that resolves the underlying issue.
