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The Leadership Training/Mentoring Corner - April Responses
THE LEADERSHIP TRAINING/MENTORING CORNER
In the August 2025 Newsletter, we started a series called “The Leadership/Mentoring Corner” in which we posed a thought-provoking situation for you to think about and put yourself into, asking yourself, “What are your next steps?” Below is the situation that was
APRIL LEADERSHIP SITUATION
Steve, team leader, is managing a group working on an important, time-sensitive project with a tight deadline. Two of the team’s strongest performers are in growing conflict over how to approach the work. One employee advocates for a fast, innovative strategy that could yield impressive results but carries some risk. The other prefers a careful, methodical process that minimizes errors but may slow progress.
As the disagreement continues, team meetings become tense, communication begins to break down, and other team members start taking sides. Productivity is slipping, and the deadline is approaching quickly. The leader recognizes that if the conflict is not addressed soon, it could jeopardize both the project’s success and the team’s overall cohesion.
Steve must decide how to intervene—balancing the need to resolve the conflict, maintaining respect among team members, and ensuring the project is completed effectively and on time.
What should Steve’s next steps be?
We polled several Silver Fox Advisors, and below are some recommendations on what Steve’s possible next steps should be:
- There appears to be misalignment of some of the Committee Members. Steve, as the leader of the Committee, needs to have meetings individually with these members and get alignment on the issues, or the tension and disagreement will continue.
- Steve needs to exercise his position of leadership and take the bull by the horns to make some difficult decisions and move the group to a conclusion.
- One suggestion was to dismiss the entire group and start all over again.
- Another suggestion was to take a mulligan and start all over again with a fresh approach.
- Probably one of the more workable suggestions was to establish one individual on the Committee as a mediator, have this person meet with those having conflicts, and get to a common ground position.
If you need assistance in becoming a better leader, we recommend you start by contacting the Silver Fox Advisors. Silver Fox Advisors are former or present business owners themselves, and they have leadership experience in running a business, and in some cases several businesses, and have dealt with unforeseen and unplanned situations throughout their careers. We encourage you to visit our website at www.silverfox.org to select a Silver Fox Advisor and also to learn more about the Silver Fox Advisors, as well as our great programs and community outreach endeavors.
