Welcome to the eighth edition of Lead the Way, a column that is focused on exploring what community members would do if they’re dealing with different conflicts within their armies. In this edition, we will be focusing on internal staff conflict.
Designed by MasterDS
Internal staff conflict is almost unavoidable when leading an army. It is something most leaders will deal with during their career. How you handle it is very important for the future of your army. You need to avoid the possibility of a bigger issue in the future.
The community has seen instances in the past regarding internal staff conflict. These conflicts are usually caused by third-party servers, group chats, or publicly in main chats. Most conflicts are private and rarely ever public news. Not being public does not mean it does not happen.
As a leader, it is important to have a staff team that can work efficiently with each other. The way you deal with an internal conflict can reflect on the outlook of your army. An internal staff conflict can lead to a lot of different things, like firings, bans, and demotions. There is also the possibility of a bigger conflict if not handled correctly.
To get more insight into how different army leaders would handle internal staff conflicts, Club Penguin Armies has reached out to different members of the community to see how they would handle a conflict within their staff ranks.
QUESTIONS
Walk us through the steps of what you would do when dealing with staff conflict within an army you’re leading.
Alucard, People’s Imperial Confederation: I’d first let my co leaders know what was happening before reaching out to the staff members involved and asking if we could make a GC between them to resolve what the issue is
Cobra, Water Vikings: It depends on what the basis of the conflict is. But I guess if I were to break this down like it is some retail supervisor training format:
- Identify the situation.,
- Personally reach out to people and get their thoughts.,
- Create a plan to address the situation.,
- Hold a staff meeting to make clear my stance.,
- Poop in my hands and fling it at the problematic people.,
I don’t follow a specific formula and I don’t fully encourage people to do so either. It’s important to just figure out where people stand and to then determine where you stand. If you have to fire people, so be it, but do so properly. Try to compromise if possible and do your best to not make the mistake we all make of just kicking the can down the road by doing a compromise that amounts to nothing.
Dawn, Templars: If there was conflict within the staff I’d want to get to the root of it and see if it’s something that can be fixed. In situations where it wasn’t something that could be fixed as easily, set a plan to continue to work together and give things time if they’re open to it.
Justin, Dark Warriors: If faced with an internal staff conflict, first and foremost, I would speak with each one of them individually to hear their side of the story without a biased viewpoint. It’s always a good idea to let everyone be heard before jumping to conclusions, gather both perspectives, then objectively find where the miscommunication or frustration may have started. Then, I would bring them together in a calm, mediated discussion focusing on the professional resolution of issues and common ground. Finally, I would underline the need to ensure that the focus of staff must always be on the army’s success, never on personal issues, and set the expectations going forward for respectful and cooperative forward movement.
What is your main goal when resolving staff conflict?
What precautions would you take to help prevent internal staff conflict in the future?
Alucard, People’s Imperial Confederation:
Cobra, Water Vikings: Hopefully in the compromise we can address the fundamental issue. Otherwise I’d have to evaluate everything at a fundamental level and fix it that way
Dawn, Templars: I mean it just comes with experience but keeping things light hearted and keeping leadership an open book helps immensely. Especially talking to staff and troops often it helps keep everyone happy and overall the morale high with minimal arguments or outbursts
Justin, Dark Warriors: Long-term, I would make sure that clear guidelines regarding behavior, communication, and conflict resolution in the staff team were put in place, so everybody knows to what standard we hold ourselves. I would also foster a culture of respect, professionalism, and unity-reminding all that the concept of leadership is one of team, not hierarchy. Where people feel valued, trusted, and respected, there’s little room for conflict and also, I’d make sure the staff team gets time to rest where needed; burnout and stress are huge causes of internal tension. This way, supporting their mental well-being goes a long way in maintaining a strong, cohesive team.
We have received a variety of answers that highlight what different leaders would do in the midst of an internal staff conflict. All the answers have one thing in common, and it’s the idea of trying to preserve unity. Do you think you could handle staff conflicts? Do you believe you could handle this situation better?
Lydia
Reporter-in-Training