If you’re like me, you probably don’t enjoy conflict. I don’t know many people who do. In the business environment, however, conflict can be positive.
“Conflict builds good teams,” he said. “Companies that don’t discuss, that don’t fight–the bad stuff gets pushed under the rug, out into the hall. It creates trouble later on.”- Patrick Lencioni
via inc.com
The quote above comes from Patrick Lencioni and is a very true statement. We have to face and resolve issues when they come up, or they will fester and create further problems down the road.
I was recently encouraged to read one of the author’s books called, “The Five Temptations of A CEO: A Leadership Fable.” You can find the book by CLICKING HERE. The book stresses that it’s important for a leader to be vulnerable to those productive disagreements so that the company can continue to move forward.
As a sales professional, it’s your responsibility to be the voice of your customer. You have to impress upon management what you are hearing from the street. It’s important that you make every effort to work within the company’s objectives and to use value-based selling techniques to win new customers. You do need to make sure that those company objectives are not diametrically opposed to what your customers want and need. If they are, a nice little conflict internally might help to move your organization for the better.
All The Best!
Matt Nall