The Good Fight

More productivity. Less drama. It all starts with a healthy conflict culture.

In the modern workplace, conflict has become a dirty word. After all, conflict is antithetical to teamwork, employee engagement, and a positive company culture. Or is it?

The truth is that our teams and organizations require conflict to get things done. But we avoid conflict and build up conflict debt by deferring and dodging the difficult decisions. Our organizations are paying the price-becoming less productive, less innovative, and less competitive. Individuals are paying, too-suffering from overwhelming workloads, endless drama, and sleepless nights.

In The Good Fight, Liane Davey shows you how to create the productive conflict your organization needs to get along and get stuff done. Drawing on her twenty-year career as an advisor to the C-Suite, Davey shares real-world examples and practical tools you and your team can use to handle even the most contentious conflicts as allies-instead of adversaries. Filled with strategies you will use again and again, The Good Fight is an essential field guide for leaders at all levels.

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