1 | Welcome to Conflict Month!

Welcome back.

I'm more convinced now than ever that teams who actively embrace healthy conflict are the teams we'll still see together in ten years... thriving.

And on the reverse: teams today who are not embracing healthy conflict are the teams we won't see thriving ten years from now... because they've fallen apart from the inside.

Let me explain why.

There are two types of healthy conflict that separate good teams from great teams, and great teams from legendary teams.

Strategic conflict

and

relational conflict.

Let me give the high level of strategic conflict.

This is conflict in the context of a group making a strategic decision—and this is where we'll find the best decisions in the world being made.

Picture this: You're sitting around a table with your leadership team, facing a major decision that will impact the next three years of your organization. Everyone has a different perspective. Different concerns. Different ideas.

In most teams, what happens? Either one person dominates the conversation, or everyone stays politely quiet to avoid rocking the boat. The result? Decisions made with incomplete information, blind spots that could have been avoided, and team members who feel unheard.

But in teams that embrace healthy strategic conflict, something beautiful happens. Ideas clash. Perspectives challenge each other. People push back on assumptions. Not because they want to be difficult, but because they care about getting to the best possible outcome.

Compare this to a team that has a lone leader making strategic decisions entirely on their own, with no other voices—and no conflict—informing the decision. That's not leadership; that's dictatorship. And it's unsustainable.

The strongest strategic decisions emerge from the friction of multiple perspectives colliding in a safe environment.

Now let me give the high level of relational conflict.

This is conflict in the context between two individuals on a team clearing the air—and this is where we'll find the strongest levels of trust in the world.

Here's what I mean: Sarah feels like John dismissed her idea in yesterday's meeting. She could let it slide, tell herself it's not a big deal, maybe vent to someone else about it. That's what most people do.

But in teams with a culture of healthy relational conflict, Sarah approaches John directly. "Hey, I felt dismissed when you cut me off yesterday. Can we talk about what happened?"

It's uncomfortable. It requires courage. But what happens next is magic—they clear the air, understand each other better, and their working relationship becomes stronger than it was before the conflict ever occurred.

Compare this to a team of people that never clear an offense and allow little fractures of distrust to slowly become large breaks. Death by a thousand small cuts. Teams that avoid these conversations don't avoid conflict—they just postpone it until it becomes destructive instead of constructive.

Here's the reality: Most teams choose comfort over conflict. The best teams choose conflict over comfort.

Think about the teams you've been part of that eventually fell apart. I'd bet it wasn't because they had too much conflict—it was because they avoided the right kind of conflict for too long.

They avoided the strategic conflict that would have prevented bad decisions.

They avoided the relational conflict that would have prevented trust from eroding.

They chose the temporary comfort of avoiding difficult conversations over the long-term health that comes from having them.

So, what this means for you:

As we dive deeper into this topic over the coming sessions, I want you to start paying attention to the conflicts your team is avoiding.

Strategic conflicts: What decisions are being made without enough input? Where are you missing perspectives that could strengthen your choices?

Relational conflicts: What tensions are simmering under the surface? What conversations are people avoiding that need to happen?

The teams that will still be thriving ten years from now are the ones learning to embrace these moments—not avoid them.

As we move forward, this isn't about creating drama or encouraging people to be difficult. This is about creating environments where the right kind of friction leads to better outcomes and stronger relationships.

In our upcoming sessions, we'll dive deep into:

• How to create healthy strategic conflict and healthy 1-1 conflict (Key word here is healthy)

• We’ll dive into the specific skills needed to navigate relational conflict

• We’ll dive into what healthy conflict actually looks and sounds like in practice

• And lastly, we’ll dive into wow to recover when conflict goes wrong

For now, I want you to sit with this truth:

Conflict isn't the enemy of great teams. Avoiding conflict is.

The question isn't whether your team will have conflict—it's whether you'll have it in a way that makes you stronger or in a way that tears you apart.

The best teams in the world have learned the difference.

That's all for today.

I'll see you soon.