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Are we missing the point here?

We all know about Sony pulling the film. We all know about the hack, and depending on who you listen to, which entity was responsible. We all know about heated words being exchanged between governments and corporations alike. We also know how Sony backtracked on its original decision and have now aired the film. We all know the CIA is standing firm on its beliefs about the situation. Perhaps ‘The Interview’ should have been called ‘as the stomach turns’, allowing overzealous producers to integrate further twists and turns on an ongoing basis. What has however astounded me is the lack of reference regarding what initiated the disagreement. This whole situation started somewhere, that being a script that cast a living person in a role of satirical vulnerability and ‘on-screen death’.

The corporate world is starting to clamber out of a cocoon devoid of emotion. Previous notions of diversity and conscious efforts towards tolerance simply did not exist. The light that attracted attention some years ago was the realization that sustainable power stems from respect and service, resulting in corporate policies and discussion. Naturally a policy does not guarantee engagement yet it was a small step in a changing direction.

Management is starting to recognize that people are another resource that is not limitless. Just as raw resources come perilously close to drying up or running out, and mechanical resources can ‘demand’ downtime, so too the human resource has limits to how much it will consciously allow and accept. People have already realized the power of respect, in all walks of life. When respect exists in our personal lives yet is absent in the workspace, a lack of congruency exists, fuelling major dissention.

Regardless of ‘who said or did what to whom’, regardless of any and all perspective on the leadership of Kim Jong Un, one fact remains. A living person was cast in a role, one that was to be assassinated. Should that character have been your father, leader, community guru, son, brother or even yourself, would we all still be laughing at the plot? What responses could that evoke? Many times we hear authors state that names are withheld in bestsellers or even videos to protect the innocent. Being a fan of satire, one with absolutely no penchant for politics, I have to look at this conflict and wonder if a greater message is not trying to emerge here, one that would serve corporate futures well. What could that be?

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Some might say finding opportunity in conflict is innovative. Bringing varying points of view together, causing friction to spark even more abrasiveness can be an effective business strategy – not one of the easiest to manage, however smart indeed. Others might say that leadership is a function that creates a future of hope validating relevance of change, providing a way through conflict to a new business reality. A leader may identify conflict in many areas, including the personal or team based arenas, for example:

• Two VP’s not supporting each other’s work
• Two Department Heads who depend on each other’s input yet cannot work together
• A team that does interact yet the communication is dripping with toxicity Without addressing this reality, issues will fester and the chance for positive results will dwindle. Some tips to work through conflict include:

Address any and all conflict

Conflict has a cause and an effect. When the effect moves through the organizational web, it will leave its mark in every place it touches. Recognize it, make it tangible for all to see its effect and work together exploring the conflict to uncover the inner wisdom –  there’s a lot in there, not to be wasted. The process of discovering what’s ‘trying to happen’ within the chaos can be enlightening. A true leader will never avoid the risk of conflict but rather optimize the field of conflict.

Separate the issue from the emotion

Within the conflict, there’s both a camouflaged issue and bucket loads of emotion. A great leader works with the emotion, gives it credibility, space and time and facilitates the release of it through a venting process. Once this has happened, a place of common ground will emerge and deep within the issue appears. It could be lack of trust, loss of freedom, disrespect of management or team members amongst many, many others. It must be revealed. With that golden nugget safely recognized, owned and feeling nurtured, dignity and wisdom will illuminate the way forward.

Move beyond ‘who did what to whom, when’ to ‘what is trying to happen’

The source of conflict is often discussed as people-driven, thereby drawing attention and focus to individual parties. With this type of approach, the realm of name, shame and blame gains momentum and soon turns very ugly. Rather, a true leader works with the system, the parts beyond the people, the web that joins us together. Our backbone provides bodily, mechanical efficiency. Similarly conflict can give the direction and way forward. It deserves closer inspection in the realm of corporate leadership.

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