2 Keys to Handling Conflict in Business, God's Way
Updated: Jan 11, 2022
One of my favorite business books is The No BS Guide to Ruthless Management of People and Profits by Dan Kennedy. It revealed to me how LITTLE I knew about management - and how management correlates with leadership.
One of the things I learned is that I have to stomp out problems with people right away, and I have to be able do it privately and publicly.
I don’t know about you, but I shy away from conflict. I avoid it like the plague.
In business, there will be conflict with people. We have to learn how to deal with it in order to move forward.
God helps us confront conflict with people. In fact, God uses the conflict to move to new levels in our relationships, and thus our businesses.
In Nehemiah, we get a great example of dealing with conflict.
Nehemiah 5:6-8 says,
"When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry. I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, “You are charging your own people interest!” So I called together a large meeting to deal with them and said: “As far as possible, we have bought back our fellow Jews who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your own people, only for them to be sold back to us!” They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say."
Nehemiah did two key things to deal with conflict.
First, he reprimanded the nobles privately.
Then, he dealt with them publicly.
This gave Nehemiah the opportunity to speak one-on-one with each official to get their buy-in. Then, he addressed everyone in a large meeting to make sure his point was made clearly. Nehemiah wanted to make sure this wasn’t going to happen again.
How you deal with conflict between people in your company will either move your company forward or take it backward. Conflict will do one or the other. Which will you choose?
All my best,
Alex Miranda
Get to know me at www.alexmiranda22.com
P.S. I did a Business bible study called 40 Days to Restarting Your Business, God's Way. Check it out:
A business Bible study to help you rethink, reinvent, and restart your business, but this time, God's Way!
We parallel Nehemiah's rebuilding of the wall to your journey in rebuilding your business.
Also, coaches and Christian business leaders, you can use, edit, and repurpose the teachings for your own tribe! Check it out.