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Three Ways Leadership is Changing:

You don’t have to know it all to start leading.
Saying “I don’t know” develops you into the kind of leader the future is demanding.
Get the right people on the bus… and a few who aren’t so right.
Aspiring future leaders understand that “wrong” people can be the most helpful in making right decisions, will make you the right leader, and will help you see the right way.
Conflict never gets easy, goes away, or feels great.
Lean into conflict for the sake of the other person, for the sake of your own growth, and for the sake of the future leader the world needs you to be.

A future-proof, four-step plan for approaching conflict is:
Step 1: Affirm the other person.
Step 2: Ask questions for clarity.
Step 3: Acknowledge what you heard.
Step 4: Advise based on what you now know.

Personal Reflection Questions

Do you ever feel the pressure to say something rather than acknowledge that you don’t know the answer to a question? What do you fear would happen if you responded with the words “I don’t know”?
Have you been tempted to view the “right” people as those who are the same as you in some way? How might you benefit from the input of “wrong” people?
Which of the following is your natural bent in approaching difficult conversations?

(A) Confront too quickly without taking the time to plan
(B) Address it indirectly or in a passive way
(C) Ignore it and hope it resolves itself

Consider the last conflict you had at work. How could you have addressed it following the four-step plan of Affirm, Ask, Acknowledge, and Advise?

Team Discussion Questions

Are we a team that values honesty over pretending? How will we respond if a teammate answers a question with “I don’t know”?
How could we benefit from contrarian voices coming from “wrong” people? Are there “wrong” people we should include in our decision-making process?
Do we handle conflict in a healthy way when it surfaces on our team? If yes, how so? If no, why not?
When difficult conversations surface in the future, how can we work together by using the four-step plan of Affirm, Ask, Acknowledge, and Advise?