As well established leaders and executives, it can become easy to avoid challenge within your day-to-day work. Many leaders create teams who support them and think along the same lines, boosting their confidence and creating a comfortable workplace atmosphere.

blog-feature-exampleThis way of working can only get you so far; by continuing to work how you always have, nothing will change. However, by creating challenge and surrounding yourself with people who inspire you, you will see your work from a new perspective, allowing you to innovate, break through the barriers of what is comfortable and drive your business forward.

So how do you go about seeking healthy conflict and use this to push yourself?

Note where your thinking has stagnated

We all have blind spots in our work; parts of our thinking or approach which have not been explored to their full potential. It is not always possible to look at your own work objectively, so encourage your current network to help you identify your blind spots – they may be more forthcoming in their advice than you expected.

Actively seek conflict

Look for networking groups, both on and offline, that provide debate outside of your normal way of thinking. An easy way of doing this is by using LinkedIn groups to identify those with different perspectives. Keep an eye out for the writers of posts that you react strongly to, whether positively or negatively.

Create friendly discourse

Debate is often the most effective way of getting to the truth of a situation. However, people can often feel uncomfortable in putting across their true feelings, and so it is necessary to set ground rules so that everybody involved knows the aim of the debate, and the boundaries surrounding the debate. A good way to ensure that you remain objective within the debate is to switch sides of the debate half way through, giving you a chance to see your opponent’s perspective and vice versa.

For more ideas on how to use challenge to push yourself further in your leadership role, contact The Results Centre today on 01858 414240.