Reflection On Leadership And Conflict

I believe leadership and conflict works hand-in-hand. There is no way that one can be in a leadership position and not encounter some form of conflict. I was once told as a young NCO that I cannot and should not run from conflict but I must embrace it because it is my job as a leader to do so. I didn’t quite understand why I was told this or how conflict had become my job as a leader. In the later years I soon found out that trying to avoid conflict would become more difficult than just dealing with it. After many years of being in different job positions and working with many different personalities; I then learned to not only recognize conflict but also understand the nature of the conflict. When a conflict arise you must not try to let it resolve itself or take your time to solve it. I have learned that resolving conflict is best when done immediately before it becomes an even bigger issue.
The first thing I learned when it comes to conflict resolution happens before there is even a conflict to resolve. Let’s just call this “setting the standard”. Often times when there is an issue it is usually because someone is doing something wrong but they usually have no idea that they are doing something incorrectly. I usually set the standard in what the Air Force calls an initial feedback. In an initial feedback I make sure I outline specific job descriptions and let the airman know exactly what I expect from them on a day to day basis. I also make sure they understand the chain