936: LEADERSHIP TIPS: The Alarming Costs of Avoiding Disagreement

Shameless Leadership

Sara Dean

Education, Management, How To, Business, Self-improvement

4.7 • 800 Ratings

🗓️ 22 April 2025

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

I don’t know anyone who loves engaging in disagreements. In fact, most of the women I know avoid disagreements, conflict, and confrontation at all costs. However, there are great costs to this avoidance, including missed opportunities for creativity and innovation, poor communication and growing resentment, slower or stalled decision making, a lack of trust and psychological safety, and higher potential for burnout and turnover. So, you can see the costs are high! Researchers at Harvard surveyed 486 employees across a wide range of industries and found that only 39% of respondents reported being trained or coached in handling workplace conflict. Of those who were trained or coached in this area, a stunning 96% said training and coaching helped them deal with conflict more effectively. 73% said they felt more confident and comfortable engaging in disagreements. 62% felt they were able to turn potentially destructive conflicts into productive ones. Clearly, this is a skill that is not only needed, but that also has so many benefits in terms of impacting team and organizational outcomes! In this episode, we dig into the importance of disagreement in leadership and communication while debunking common myths surrounding conflict. I share how learning to navigate disagreements can lead to innovative solutions and stronger relationships. Inspired by my recent school work for my Master's in Organizational Leadership program, I introduce you to the HEAR method from Harvard, which provides a framework for effective communication during disagreements. The episode will help you begin to embrace disagreement as a powerful and necessary tool, as well as an opportunity for growth and collaboration. Episode Highlights: 00:00 The Importance of Disagreement 02:46 Building Skills for Effective Disagreement 06:06 Myths Surrounding Disagreement 09:50 Strategies for Navigating Disagreements 16:03 The HEAR Method for Effective Communication 22:00 Transforming Disagreement into Opportunity Links Mentioned: Article: Managing a Polarized Workforce: How to Foster Debate and Promote Trust from the Harvard Business Review Book: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Race the rudder. Raise the sails. Raise the sales!
0:04.0	Captain and unidentified chip approaching. Over.
0:07.0	Roger that. Wait. Is that an enterprise sales solution?
0:12.0	Reach sales professionals, not professional sailors.
0:16.0	With LinkedIn ads, you can target the right people by industry, job title, and more.
0:21.3	To get 100 pounds off your first campaign, go to LinkedIn.com slash lead to claim your credit.
0:26.6	That's LinkedIn.com slash lead. Terms and conditions apply.
0:34.1	Welcome to shameless leadership. I'm your host, Sarah Dean. This show is for women, transgender people,
0:40.2	non-binary folks, as well as allies, who are committed to advancing their leadership while also
0:45.2	advancing the leadership of those around them. In each episode, we will offer practical tips,
0:50.3	leadership strategies, and inspiring stories to help you become a more confident, compassionate, and
0:55.2	inclusive leader. The truth is, you were born to lead. What might happen for you if you were to
1:00.9	wholeheartedly embrace that part of yourself? So let's start now, together. Hello, shameless
1:06.9	leaders. Today we're going to get a little uncomfortable. You ready? We're going to talk about
1:11.8	disagreeing. And if you were socialized as a woman, disagreeing with someone else might be one of the
1:19.9	most uncomfortable things you can think of. And we know that disagreeing is really important.
1:25.5	And we know that disagreeing and hearing each other's
1:29.4	perspectives often is the pathway to coming up with new solutions and creative solutions
1:34.2	and innovative solutions. And yet we shy away from disagreements at all costs because we're
1:40.4	afraid of disappointment and we're afraid of things getting too uncomfortable. We don't actually have, in most cases, we don't actually have skill sets around how to disagree
1:49.4	with each other. And that makes it all the more uncomfortable. If I don't know how to do something,
1:53.5	if I don't know how to water ski, I'm going to be super intimidated to go try it for the first time,
	...

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