Leadership lesson #1: Dare to confront

Posted: February 24, 2017 | Categories: Leadership, Team Building

As a professional coach, I help companies build top-performing teams.  This week I was reminded of one of the biggest challenges in building strong teamwork:  The ability to confront someone who has either made a mistake or needs re-direction.

In any team or organization, it is guaranteed that there will be conflict, differences of opinion, and people making costly mistakes.  This week, one of my clients was faced with such a situation.

Chuck is a company sales rep.  He has worked in his industry for many years, and is proud of the relationships and trust he has built with his customers.  Last week, one of his key customers called him.  The customer was upset about the way the service technician had treated them.  The customer felt they were treated abruptly, and they resented it.  What should Chuck do?  He has two choices, doesn’t he?

1. Ignore the problem
2. Confront the problem

Of course, ignoring the problem is the worst thing we can do.  Leaders know how to keep small problems small.  The other choice is to confront.  If we do this, we run the risk of the technician becoming defensive and losing face.  Chuck chose to confront it in a way that did not create resentment.  Instead, his goal was to collaborate with the tech with the goal of solving the problem and preserving trust.  Here was his approach:

1.  Begin in a friendly way:  He said, “Jim, I have a problem, and I could use your help.”

2.  Frame the conversation and get agreement so that he would not be interrupted (see 6/17/16 blog)

He followed these fundamentals, and was able to have a quality discussion.  The tech agreed that he needed to be more flexible, he committed to making the adjustment, and they both went back to work.  In handling the situation this way, Chuck:

1. Solved the problem
2. Set the context for good future communication and problem solving.