Introduction
Part I: The Case for Conflict
Chapter 1: Conflict Debt
The Importance of Conflict
Conflict Debt
Identify the Conflict Debt in Your Business
The Interest
Conflict Debt in Your Teams
The Cost to You Personally
Time to Make a Payment
Chapter 2: Conflict Aversion and Avoidance
What is Conflict Aversion?
Where Does Conflict Aversion Come From?
Conflict Aversion versus Conflict Avoidance
Chapter 3: A New Conflict Mindset
The Case Against Conflict
Kind is The New Nice
Get Off the Sidelines
Work Through the Emotion
Speak Truth to Power
A New Mindset
Part II: The Conflict Code
Introduction
Chapter 4: Establish a Line of Communication
Engage Early
Building Trust
Increasing Your Trust in Others
Chapter 5: Create a Connection
Allies Not Adversaries
Facts Don't Solve Fights
Insights from Information
Follow the Emotion
Going for Gold: Uncovering People's Values and Beliefs
The Benefits of Getting to the Values
Creating a Connection
Chapter 6: Contribute to a Solution
Problems Not Solutions
Two Truths
Root Cause
Question the Impact
Hypotheticals
Own the Misunderstanding
Common Criteria
Part III: Codifying Conflict
Chapter 7: The "U"
The U Tool
Common Issues
Other Issues to Explore
Using the U with the Government Team
Chapter 8: Normalize Tension
The Tarp
Learning from the Tarp
Common Issues
Chapter 9: The Conflict Habit
The Conflict Habit
Habit #1: Clarify Expectations
Habit #2: Introduce Diversity
Habit #3: Improve your feedback
Habit #4: Use humor and code words
Habit #5: Encourage productive conflict in meetings
Part IV: Try This at Home
Chapter 10: Try This at Home
Productive Conflict with Partners
Raising Conflict-resilient Kids
Volunteer Teams And Everywhere Else
Appendices
Appendix A: How to Fill Out the U Template
Appendix B: How to Fill Out the Tarp Template
Acknowledgements
References
Dr. Liane Davey is a New York Times Bestselling author, a regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review, and the host of the ChangeYourTeam blog. As the co-founder of 3COze Inc., she advises on business strategy and executive team effectiveness and has worked with executives at companies such as Amazon, Walmart, Aviva, TD Bank, and SONY PlayStation. Liane has a Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology and has served as an evaluator for the American Psychological Association's Healthy Workplace Awards. Liane is married to her business partner, Craig, and they have two teenaged daughters.
"In this terrific book, Liane Davey delivers a surprising and
bracing message: Conflict is good for us. It can improve
performance, help teams bond, and enrich the workplace. What
matters is how you harness conflict to address tough topics and
make hard decisions. If you feel like your organization is mired in
a rut, you might need a good fight-and you definitely need The
Good Fight."
-DANIEL H. PINK, author of When and Drive
"Liane Davey has long been a secret weapon of the C-Suite. With
The Good Fight, any leader can learn how to get their teams
unstuck and working together again. Through humor and practical
examples, Liane's book shows how even the most conflict-avoidant
leaders can use productive conflict to resolve the issues that have
been holding them back. Save yourself the stress and start applying
her methods today."
-SHAWN LAYDEN, chairman, Sony Interactive Entertainment
Worldwide Studios
"For most leaders and teams, conflict is treated as something to
avoid at all costs-instead of a path toward greater understanding,
engagement, and success. Through practical examples, Davey gives us
the right words so we might approach conflict as an ally rather
than an adversary. I highly recommend The Good Fight for
anyone leading a team. As many of us would agree, normalizing
healthy conflict in the workplace is something that is long
overdue."
-DR. MARLA GOTTSCHALK, industrial/organizational
psychologist and LinkedIn Influencer
"The Good Fight is an essential field guide that any leader
can use to prevent drama before it starts. Davey provides practical
and repeatable processes you can use to disarm people's egos,
resolve the conflicts on your team, and restore sanity to your
organization."
-CY WAKEMAN, drama researcher, New York
Times-bestselling author of No Ego, and founder of
reality-based leadership
"Whether you're an organization of 10 or 10,000, the best solutions
emerge when people feel comfortable sharing their ideas, even when
what they have to say challenges the status quo. In The Good
Fight, Davey shows leaders how to facilitate the productive,
healthy conflict that's needed for teams to fully engage and give
their best to the organization."
-HOWARD BEHAR, former president, Starbucks International,
and author of It's Not about the Coffee: Lessons on Putting
People First from a Life at Starbucks
"We feel the pain of having a conflict immediately. But the pain of
avoiding a conflict is insidious and invisible, like a toxic gas.
In The Good Fight, Liane Davey shows us how to clear the air
without causing an explosion."
-KIM SCOTT, New York Times-bestselling author of
Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss without Losing Your
Humanity
"Growing up among eight siblings, my mother always taught me to
'use my words, not my fists' whenever there was conflict. This
advice not only helped me out of a jam, but taught me not to back
down if things needed to be said. Productive conflict resolution
had begun! In Liane Davey's new book, The Good Fight, she
uses her twenty-five years of team-building experience to
effectively teach people how to resolve conflict the right way-head
on! Her practical strategies are purposeful and wise, and will help
create healthy habits, build trust within your team, and increase
the bottom line! An excellent read!"
-DAVID M.R. COVEY, coauthor of Trap Tales: Outsmarting
the 7 Hidden Obstacles to Success
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