I find it interesting that our country’s role as “world peacekeeper” is usually earned by resolving each conflict with tremendous aggression and firepower.
The term “peacekeeper” usually conjures images of a mild-mannered person with a wry smile, a soft voice, and rather slow and non-threatening movements. A kind word, maybe a wise proverb, and just about any explosive situation should be calmed. Despite the image that comes to mind, the role of the peacekeeper is also very important in business, and although massive weapons aren’t necessary, the need for quick, decisive action remains the same. Day-to-day conflicts between customers, employees, and vendors can be resolved quickly, or can turn into major ordeals based on how well the particular issue is managed by the resident peacekeeper.
Conflicts and the ensuing resolutions are a confusing paradox of business life (or any other part of life). By that I mean that we almost always know the right answer for solving a conflict, but for some reason, we do just the opposite of what we know to do. For example, what do we do when we have a leaky faucet at home? We know to call a plumber, but instead we approach the problem by placing a cloth under the drip, and each day developing a more complex “drip diverter” to deafen the sound. Finally, out of frustration, we call a plumber. Yet, months earlier, we drew the same conclusion, only to frustrate ourselves by avoiding the real problem rather than fixing it with the real solution.
Unfortunately, many times we do the same thing with business conflicts, and in the process we cost ourselves and our companies a great deal of time and money. For example, say you have a critical order (to be shipped yesterday) for your largest customer and you have just found out that you can’t ship for another 48 hours. Now the answer is obvious: Find out what can be done to expedite the order, pull together all the resources you can find, and after a brief prayer that it’s all a bad dream, you call the customer to face the music and see if together you can work out “Plan B.” Almost always the customer, after a few choice words, reveals alternatives that are less than catastrophic. But many times we’ll approach this type of problem just like the leaky faucet! “Let’s see, the customer thinks it was shipped yesterday, so they won’t expect it for four days. By then we’ll be done. By dodging their phone calls and calling in sick, this will be over before we know it.” About that time you answer your ringing phone – it’s your customer wanting to verify that the order went out yesterday as planned!
Why do we avoid conflict? Particularly when we know that the initial conflict, in many cases, won’t be nearly as bad as the one that is inevitably going to occur later? Well, I am no psychologist but I know what makes me sometimes avoid conflict. First, like water, we tend to choose the path of least resistance. We generally associate conflict with pain and anxiety so we avoid it regardless of the ensuing consequences. Second, all the mistakes we made during prior conflicts – those words we couldn’t take back, or the way we had misunderstood the situation – causes us to procrastinate. Third, conflicts are diversions from our existing plans and mess up our neat little schedules. But the reality is that the faster we confront problems, the better off we are. Fast, decisive, even aggressive action can greatly reduce the future consequences of day-to-day conflicts.
The peacekeeper then is not someone who quietly avoids problems and conflict. They quickly observe problems, race to action with concern and knowledge, and inform all related parties, thereby reducing damage and preserving future relationships. Imagine a small fire breaking out in your office. How would you approach the problem? Would you say “Somebody else will get it, I’m busy,” or “Maybe it will go out on its own,” or “I don’t’ want to get yelled at for pouring water on the carpet.” Most problems are just like the fire: they are easily put out early in the process, but given a chance, they burn out of control.