Bob

Conflict comes in two forms: good and bad. Good conflict is disagreement and debate and a hard look at ideas and solutions. Good conflict results in even better ideas and solutions. Bad conflict is name calling, and personal attacks, and disengagement. Bad conflict results in team dysfunction.

A common cause of bad conflict is communication. We each have our own expectations of how we want others to communicate with us.

Really, the only way to get street smarts is to be on the street. It’s great if you can hire someone who already has the knowledge and experience you need, but that’s often unlikely. The fact is, people will grow into the job; if you let them.