Try this quick experiment. Place your hand above your head as if you’re going to trace a circle on the ceiling with your index finger. Now, trace an imaginary circle in a clockwise direction. While continuing to trace the circle, …
Productive conflict
Bumper Stickers for Leaders
I like bumper stickers. They’re brief, to the point, and often clever. Here are a few of my favorites along with how they relate to Mutual Learning leadership.
Minds are like parachutes; they function only when open. If you want …
How to Lead with Compassion
You are meeting with several of your direct reports who have just told you that the division’s latest acquisition is not going well. Key leaders of the acquired company are not cooperating and they’re finding that the culture is so …
Leading from Every Chair
Most leaders still cling to the one-leader-in-a-room approach because we have difficulty imagining a better alternative. We think leadership is based on control, and that prevents us from realizing the benefits of shared leadership.
For example, we think our role …
Escalating Disagreements with Peers
What do you do when you and a peer need to agree on a decision and you can’t? You’ve probably been in this situation. Both you and your peer have strong views on the topic, the stakes are high for …
Getting to the Heart of a Disagreement – and Resolving It
When you have a disagreement with others, do you focus on developing common ground and try to minimize the differences? If so, you may be wasting valuable time and reducing the chance of genuinely resolving the conflict. Although finding common …
Gift or Toxic Asset? How to Figure Out Whether to Rehash the Past
“If I bring up this example, will it help the group develop shared understanding, learn from our past experiences, and move forward with new insights and appreciation for others’ perspectives? Or will it open old wounds and send us back …
How to Deal with Dilemmas
A dilemma is a special kind of problem. When you are in a dilemma, every alternative solution is unacceptable. For those of us in the United States, we are watching a large-scale economic dilemma play out. If the federal government …
Reducing Risk in Risky Conversations
Last week I was coaching a client who wanted to talk to his boss’s boss – the CEO of the organization. He wanted to raise some important issues but was worried that the CEO might not be receptive. He didn’t …
How to Prepare for a Disagreement
Sometimes you need to have a conversation and you know it’s going to be challenging. You’ve already talked with this person before and the two of you see things very differently. Maybe you want one solution and they want another. …
