If you’re trying to remove all tension and conflict within your team, you’re doing it wrong.
Any attempt to create a bubble in which no one disagrees with anyone else never works. As General George Patton said, “If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.”
Squashing disagreement means squashing creativity, innovation, and problem-solving. It means potentially disastrous (and certainly smaller) problems will creep into anything you’re trying to accomplish, because no one will speak up to point them out.
And it creates a bubble in which, ironically enough, there is zero, and I do mean zero, psychological safety – because no one will feel safe enough to say anything that hints at any sort of pushback, disagreement, or conflict.
True psychological safety is about creating a space in which people can hold the tension of conflict, not stifle it. It’s about being able to disagree with respect. And I do want to emphasize that last word: respect.
It’s not an easy thing to create, and, once established, it’s not easy to maintain.
But this is where exceptional teams creating exceptional work are formed.
Conflict and disagreement should always include respect. If you’re wondering how to handle that balance – let’s talk.