Tackling the Elephant in the Room
- Eddie Geller
- Aug 18
- 2 min read
Gallup says it best: “Less than half your employees feel safe speaking up.”
Let that sink in. If half of your workforce is biting their tongue, that’s half your ideas, half your innovation, and half your blind spots going unchallenged.
And here’s the kicker: silence is expensive. When people avoid the tough conversations, problems don’t go away—they grow. One unaddressed issue can spread through a team like a slow leak in a tire. It doesn’t cause a blowout immediately, but it will absolutely take you off course.
Why Conflict Gets a Bad Rap
Most organizations treat conflict like it’s toxic—something to avoid at all costs. Leaders get uncomfortable, teams fear “rocking the boat,” and meetings tiptoe around the real issues.
But here’s the truth: conflict isn’t the enemy, avoidance is.
Healthy conflict—open, respectful, and focused on ideas, not egos—is where breakthrough performance lives.
In sports, you see it clearly. Teammates argue on the sidelines, not because they dislike each other, but because they care about winning. They’re aligned on the goal, but unafraid to challenge how they get there. That’s how blind spots turn into breakthroughs.
The Cost of Silence
Think about the hidden profits lost when conflict is suppressed:
Missed innovation – Employees see a better way but stay quiet.
Rework and delays – Small issues get buried until they explode into costly crises.
Team disengagement – People stop caring if no one listens anyway.
Performance is a game of inches. One uncomfortable truth shared at the right moment can save weeks of wasted effort. One courageous voice can keep a project from derailing.
Building a Culture of Healthy Conflict
So how do you shift from avoidance to productive debate?
Normalize discomfort. Make it clear that disagreement is part of progress, not a sign of dysfunction.
Focus on the issue, not the individual. Keep debates about the work, not personal attacks.
Reward candor. Recognize and celebrate when people speak up—even if you don’t act on every idea.
Lead by example. If leaders won’t address the elephant in the room, no one else will.
From Blind Spots to Breakthroughs
Healthy conflict is about courage. It’s about creating a space where your people trust that their voice matters—even if it challenges the status quo. When that happens, blind spots become visible, hidden profits surface, and your team moves faster together.
At SKOR, we call this measuring Courage—a critical ingredient of every high-performing team. Because performance isn’t just about chasing efficiency; it’s about unlocking the voices already in the room.
So the question is: does your culture encourage healthy conflict, or are your people holding back? The elephant is still sitting there—are you ready to talk about it?
👉 Want to see how your team stacks up?
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