For many people, conflict in the workplace is something to avoid at all costs. For Dr. Zach Schaefer, he sees an opportunity to grow. Zach has honed his career around the people problem in business. As a founder, CEO, entrepreneur, and executive mediator and coach, he spends much of his time helping people navigate conflict in their professional and personal lives. On average, companies spend very little time and attention on strategies for conflict resolution. Without a game plan, small issues can fester into big problems that harm businesses and relationships when they explode. 

Zach believes that when a company has conflict confidence, they are able to adjust to unexpected changes and are more resilient in challenging scenarios. His coaching program encourages leaders to expect disagreements among team members and therefore create a strategic plan for resolving conflicts when they come up. Rather than avoiding hard conversations or addressing them via text or email, he encourages face-to-face interaction. It’s also important to be proactive when issues arise. Successful leaders practice their sensitivity to conflict by anticipating where the disagreements will occur and making a plan for how to address them with grace and clarity. One of the best tools for using conflict in a positive way is by creating space between the trigger and the response. When conflict is treated as an opportunity to grow, teams strengthen their individual and collective impact.