When conflict happens: navigating difficult interactions in senior teams – fostering a culture of constructive engagement

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to identify common ways of dealing with conflict, specifically in C‐level teams, and how to confront them frankly and respectfully. Design/methodology/approach – The author presents his views based on over 30 years' experience as an executive coach. Findings – One of the most important ingredients for success in any business is to hire smart, confident and assertive people. However, it is impossible to put a bunch of smart, assertive people together without them bumping heads. Nothing creative ever happens in boring, non‐confrontational environments. A lack of overt conflict can be a symptom of apathy. In conflict avoidant or passive aggressive teams, conflict shows up in subversive ways, for example back stabbing, or failing to deliver a commitment on the date to which the requesting executive thought his fellow executives had agreed to deliver. Practical implications – It is imperative for senior teams to be able to work well together and confront conflicts that arise. Rare is the person that is consistently comfortable addressing conflict. Some of the most seasoned CEOs often express sentiments such as “I don't know what it is about X, but it just hard talking to him. I know it's going to be a difficult conversation and find myself putting it off.” This article explains how to do so. Originality/value – This article provides constructive, usable plans of action for confronting conflict in senior teams.