As professionals, the principle job is to create long-lasting value for a holistic set of stakeholders – customers (internal/external), investors, the environment etc.

But much like a healing journey at the individual level, the process to identify the optimal value solutions can be messy!

Opinionated and Passionate about our convictions and what is ‘best’ for stakeholders can lead to conflict. And conflict can be exacerbated because we care!

We’ve experienced a fair share of conflict as a startup – on a male-dominated (trying to change this!) team that’s incredibly opinionated and experienced in hospitality categories and cares so much about the delivery of its products.

At the end of the day, we all want what’s best and the process to get there at times feels like a royal rumble!

But this conflict, over time has yielded tremendous outcomes and a near tripling of the brands’ value in recent years.

I’ve learned, from disruptive conflict situations, that the outcomes are generally good – if you stay calm, cool and balanced and allow for the process to play out. Don’t run out of the room or expect it to be quick.

Keeping the mantra ‘Is this conflict helping us win for our customers in the midst of a heated debate is a way to see it as a value add process. And don’t be afraid to ask your team this question.

If it’s shenanigans and not aligned, cut the cord and move on!

And after receiving all perspectives, teams make more educated decisions that reflect optimal outcomes.

Pictured are our leadership team and local partners from 2021. 7/8 folks are still around, and one exited due to conflict.

Curious to hear other leaders share their techniques on how to cultivate a culture that embraces conflict in the spirit of winning for its customers!