Becoming a Conflict Competent Leader: How You and Your Organization Can Manage Conflict Effectively, 2nd Edition

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Preventing Destructive Responses to Conflict

Mankind must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.

—Martin Luther King Jr.

Leaders are facing unprecedented challenges. Complexity and ambiguity abound in modern organizations. The pressures of shrinking budgets, stretch targets, and demands to do more with less are relentless. Clients and the market demand lightning speed, catlike agility, and immediate innovative solutions. This environment creates the ultimate urgency trap for leaders, often interfering with their ability to effectively and carefully examine conflicts when they occur. Leaders are expected to spot oppor­tunities and problems quickly, act ...