Change, Comfort, & Conflict
"Those who expect moments of change to be comfortable and free of conflict have not learned their history."
- Joan Wallach Scott
I've spent years trying to help the people I serve (and those of you who read this) create meaningful change in their personal & professional lives. However, change inherently requires some degree of discomfort and conflict.
When the change you seek is personal in nature, that conflict is often private or shared with only your closest confidants. While the struggle is real, the change can be accomplished without interpersonal conflict.
On the other hand, change at the organizational level is often messy and full of conflict. Not only do you need to manage the pain points associated with the change (training staff for new procedures for example), but you also need to manage the personalities of everyone involved with the change. Those personality differences often cause real conflict as opposed to simple pain points.
I invite you to listen to Episode 8 of Consultant Conversations, where Mike Mueller, Keith Soriano, Todd Smith, and I discuss everything workplace conflict, including the root causes, possible strategies to reduce conflicts, and using conflict as a catalyst for productive change. I also hope that these podcasts are valuable for you in your personal and professional lives. With that in mind, I am including a list of "Questions to Consider" below. I hope you encourage others in your organization to listen to this episode and use the questions as a starting point for important conversations about the topic.
Questions to consider
In your organization or team, what are the root causes of conflict?
Does your organization or team create both good conflict and bad conflict? What are some examples of both?
What is the line that separates good conflict from the bad?
What can you do to create a culture where people aren't afraid to voice their opinions to create positive change?
How does your organization prevent personal conflicts from becoming professional?
Conversely, how does your organization prevent professional conflicts from becoming personal?
Can it be constructive to set up opportunities for conflict to come to the surface?
You can find this episode and all previous episodes on your favorite podcast platforms:
Apple Anchor Breaker Google Podcasts Pocket Casts Radio Public Spotify
We'd also welcome the opportunity to have you submit topics for the four of us to bounce around over a good cup of coffee. I can't wait to hear what you have in mind.
Seeking catalysts for change,
Jason Boaz, PGA, APRW
PGA Career Consultant
Serving the Southwest and Sun Country Sections of the PGA of America
PGA Certified Golf Professional
Advanced Professional Resume Writer
319.651.3510
jboaz@pgahq.com