You've taken on a team with pre-existing conflicts. How will you foster trust and collaboration?

My first step? One-on-one meetings with each team member. I listen deeply, without judgment, to truly understand their perspectives. This approach not only shows I value their input but also sets a foundation of trust. By addressing individual concerns, I tailor conflict resolution strategies to fit our unique team dynamics.

In today’s workplace, servant leadership fosters collaboration and success. My goal is to empower my team with the resources and support they need. I use the "Tight, Loose, Tight" management approach: 🔒 Tight: Set clear expectations and define the vision. Every team member must understand their roles and goals. 🌊 Loose: Grant autonomy. Allow the team to leverage their skills and creativity, fostering innovation without micromanagement. 🔒 Tight: Re-engage to review progress and provide feedback. Maintain accountability while offering support. This approach has enabled my teams to thrive, delivering results and cultivating a culture of trust.

Addressing any conflict requires understanding its source. If there are any pre-existing conflicts within the team, it's important to connect with each individual and understand what the issues are and how they are impacting them. Gaining perspectives across the board can clear any biases or preconceived ideas and give you a better picture of the conflicts, which can be useful in coming up with effective strategies to address them. Strategies that speak to different people's needs.

To foster trust and collaboration in a conflicted team, begin with one-on-one meetings, as advised by Proverbs 27:17, “Iron sharpens iron.” Listen actively and empathetically, reflecting Ephesians 4:2, “with all humility and gentleness.” Emulate Christ’s servant leadership by understanding individual concerns, echoing James 1:19, “quick to hear, slow to speak.” Tailor conflict resolution to team needs, striving for peace per Romans 12:18. This approach, rooted in biblical principles, builds a foundation of trust, demonstrating a commitment to addressing grievances and fostering a cooperative spirit.

Empathetic leadership is a missed trait in today’s time. With generational differences and thought in the workforce, leading with empathy is more important than ever. This includes active listening (listening to answer vs listening to understand). Empathy builds trust which is the cornerstone of any leadership and successful team.

It's important to show both side that you care and are willing to try and understand where they are coming from. You should try be a voice of reason between the two parties and help them understand that coming to a peaceful agreement is going to be the most beneficial for the team. When possible try to make both sides feel as if they are getting something positive from the negotiations.

Fostering empathy within your team is essential for overcoming conflicts. Encourage team members to share their perspectives and experiences in a safe environment. As a servant leader, model this behavior by showing genuine interest and understanding towards each individual’s situation. This approach aligns with Romans 12:15, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” It helps build interpersonal relationships and promotes a culture where empathy is valued as a key component of collaboration. When team members feel empathized with, they’re more likely to extend the same courtesy to their colleagues, enhancing overall teamwork.

Empathy forms the cornerstone of trust. By actively listening to each team member's perspectives and acknowledging their feelings, I'll cultivate a supportive environment. This fosters understanding and promotes a culture where team members feel heard and valued.

In my perspective this is crucial step. If trust is not built, the communication will not happen freely. When someone get trust, the same will cascaded and the healthy culture will be built. This has to be come from Top-to-Bottom. This cannot be taught in any trainings, this has to reflect in behavior / attitude. Many a times, just few words makes lot of difference.

I have always defined Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART) goals. This provides direction and helps the team focus on common objectives. Also, communication, regular check ins & reviewing progress realign the team to work collaboratively to achieve the set goals.

Be neutral and don’t take sides. Help your team focus on shared objectives. Offer soft skills training and one on one coaching. Remind the team to bring their best version of themselves to work to the best interest of the organization. Lead by example and avoid gossip.

Clear expectations are the foundation of a high-functioning team. As you resolve conflicts, articulate standards of behavior and communication that promote respect, inclusivity, and professionalism. Set boundaries to provide a harmonious framework, aligning with Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.” As a servant leader, apply these expectations equally to everyone, including yourself, fostering mutual accountability. This approach ensures a respectful and inclusive team environment where everyone is held to the same standards, enhancing collaboration and trust.

Setting clear expectations is like building the blueprint for a dream home – it’s essential for a strong, cohesive team. 🎯 In my experience, I've seen conflicts dissolve when everyone knows the rules of engagement. I make it a point to lay out guidelines that champion respect, inclusivity, and professionalism. 💬✨ This framework isn't just for them – it’s for me too.

Setting expectations not just helping to resolve / ease resolution, but also avoid any miscommunication. While setting expectations, we need to be professional and set the same like pre-defined rules in any game. This will leave very less room for misunderstanding. Also setting clear expectations foster the sense of responsibility and help to draw boundaries.

Open and honest communication is crucial in any team. To heal rifts and foster trust, create natural opportunities for your team to discuss their challenges and concerns. Regular team meetings or inviting communal spaces facilitate this process. As you encourage this dialogue, maintain an impartial stance and steer conversations toward constructive solutions. As a servant leader, your role is a mediator, helping team members understand each other and collaborate more effectively. #Leadership #Communication #TrustBuilding

Communication is the key to harmony when working with people. Keep your team informed even when the response is negative. It is important that they know you are listening and trying to make a difference.

Open and honest communication is critical in healing rifts and building trust. Create opportunities for your team to discuss challenges and concerns through regular meetings or conflict resolution workshops. Encourage dialogue, maintaining an impartial stance, and guiding conversations towards constructive solutions. Reflecting on Proverbs 15:1, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger,” approach discussions with gentleness. As a servant leader, act as a mediator, helping team members understand each other and work together effectively, fostering a culture of open communication and mutual respect.

Open communication is essential. I'll facilitate regular team discussions and constructive feedback sessions. Encouraging an environment where ideas are freely exchanged and concerns addressed promotes mutual respect and strengthens team cohesion.

Breaking the barrier and bringing people closer together is to assign a non-work related topics such as a movie, gather people to talk about it. It will help feel safe while expressing their views since it is not related to their work or their performance. Establish rules that bring civility, openness and mutual respect. Seek to understand, listen with out interrupting, do not force anyone to speak, and everyone's views has equal value. Meeting the team informally will help them break the barrier and encourage other means of communication as well. Make sure that all the team members are treated the same way including the leader, judged on equal terms. Dialogues make the work place more lively and break down stereotypes and strengthen teams

Make your office a ‘safe haven’ to discuss whatever is necessary. Ensure your team feels heard and supported and offer unbiased assistance. If the issue is professional, work together on finding a solution, the same attitude should be given to personal concerns. Don’t dictate, find a solution together.

Offering support is a key element of servant leadership. Make yourself available to help team members develop collaboration skills through coaching, mentoring, or providing resources for professional development. Reflecting Galatians 6:2, “Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ,” show that you value their contributions and are committed to their success. By investing in their growth, you build trust and encourage a culture of continuous improvement and teamwork, demonstrating your commitment to their personal and professional development.

Being a servant leader is not an easy task. A Servant Leader not just a manager. Your people always look up to you and even some of their friends from different teams will walk up to you for support. It keeps you engaged all day. Identifying training needs for the team, communicating, coaching, mentoring and facilitate all the resources they would require for their professional development. Addressing and helping them achieve their personal aspirations will bring in their loyalty factor as well. Staying behind them to help them believe that you are there to support if anything goes wrong.

In my experience, recognition plays an important role as a servant leader. Highlighting individual & team contributions creates a sense of being noticed and getting appreciated for the work done. Its good to celebrate milestones, whether they are small wins or major achievements has its own benefits which can be done in weekly meetings or monthly gatherings. While working with a team having pre-existing conflicts, create shared goals & objectives that require collaboration to achieve. This helps align the team’s efforts and emphasizes the importance of working together.

Acknowledging individual and collective achievements is not just a formality, but a powerful tool for reinforcing positive changes within your team. Celebrate these milestones when overcoming conflicts and enhancing collaboration. Remember, your positive reinforcement has a significant impact on team morale and can empower them to continue working harmoniously. As a servant leader, it's your responsibility to offer sincere and specific praise. Highlight the efforts and attitudes that contribute to the team’s success. Your role is crucial in acknowledging and celebrating these achievements, making the team feel responsible and accountable for their actions.

Recognizing and celebrating progress is important in reinforcing positive changes within your team. Acknowledge individual and collective achievements in overcoming conflicts and improving collaboration. This aligns with 1 Thessalonians 5:11, “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another.” Positive reinforcement boosts morale and motivates your team to continue working harmoniously. As a servant leader, offer sincere and specific praise, highlighting the efforts and attitudes contributing to the team’s success. This approach fosters a culture of appreciation and encourages ongoing collaboration and improvement.

Whenever encountering a business or organization that has ongoing issues, it is important that they know you’re not there to try to fix it, but that you’re there to try to understand. After listening, recall what you have heard and then if they’re willing to hear, share the trend patterns, thoughts, or concerns that you have concluded. And then after that, it is wise to ask them what the ideal team looks like and if they want to be a part of it. If they do, make sure they feel like you need them to help Bill the ideal team.

While the 6 options mentioned are all useful, when addressing conflict, it’s important to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy conflict. By being the adult in the room, the mediator, coach, it’s recommended to lead by example and nurture conflicts to stay healthy. Do this by clarity of boundaries and when one is crossed, address it right away. Being a mentor and guide the conversations with mindfulness towards psychological safety. Understanding what is good for a team to resolve together and what needs to be addressed with 1:1 or between the two individuals and yourself or, when to call in help to address a specific issue. By clearly being the leader of the team, as a servant leader, the goal is to work yourself out of a job.

Marshall Rosenberg has "four components for non-violent communication," 1) Observation 2) Feeling 3) Need 4)Request These components are clear of buzzwords, and reach into the essence of being human, using tools to get past the facades, the posing, and even in some cases the hurt. The request is the verb of the components. It can be for clarity, feedback or action. Once you truly have an idea of the environment, have established trust, and identified what positive steps you can take then the team can take action in a positive way. None of this can be rushed. Tired people or distracted people won't be good participants. Problem is, success lies in allowing for the process to work. Or any strategy is doomed. 🚬😎

In addition to the points mentioned, creating a psychologically safe and trusting environment is crucial for any team, especially those with pre-existing conflicts. This environment can be initiated with a team-building day to unite the team and foster a sense of cohesion. In my experience, this approach has been very effective. However, building such an environment is an ongoing process that must be consistently maintained in all team meetings and activities. This continuous effort goes hand in hand with the other points discussed in the article.