Lexington, KY - I attended one of the recent debates between the coal interests and Kentucky environmentalists or activists, and I was struck by one comment: that we will never be able to bridge this divide. I believe this is true only if one or both of the parties does not want to resolve the issue.
Those who consider themselves as leaders are frequently in the unenviable position of having to mediate and resolve a conflict. In all cases where disparate groups have a genuine desire to resolve their differences and work toward a common goal, I believe it can be achieved.
Two elements
In the field of psychology, we study human behavior. Last time I checked, we are all still humans. That's where it starts. That means every one of us have fundamentally the same physical bodies, DNA and most importantly, the same basic behaviors and desires.
The second element is the desire for true resolution. If we are motivated toward resolution, we will expend the necessary energy to make it so.
How it works
Enough of this abstract philosophical stuff - how do we put this into practice? Let's go back to the coal discussions.
Appalachian activists argue that coal miners are poorly paid and poorly educated, and that coal companies rape the land by removing mountaintops, spilling toxic refuse, destroying roads, and on and on. The activists fear for miners' safety and for everyone's health. They fear that they will lose the beauty of their homeland and more.
Coal companies, like most companies, exist to continually make a profit. They do this in order to provide a positive cash return to their shareholders and to remain in existence. Imagine your physical body if you don't get enough food. What would happen? You would become fearful that you will starve to death. A business is no different. It, too, fears death and works very hard to stay alive.
Coal is a commodity with worldwide supply and demand. A coal company fears that if it pays its miners higher wages, the price of its coal will increase, reducing demand because the customers will switch to less expensive producers. Similarly, if it increases training and safety measures, it may become noncompetitive.
Enter the coal company employees. They, like all other workers, desire a paycheck to put a roof over their heads, food in their mouths, and an education for their children or desire to do something meaningful with their lives. They want to stay in the area where they were raised; they enjoy their region of the world. Guess what? The managers and executives of the coal companies want these same things. The difficulty lies in the fact that both parties have fear of change.
At the heart of the matter, coal companies need the resources in the ground and the ability to get it out of the ground and into a railroad car at a competitive cost. Workers need jobs and choose to work for coal companies unless the rewards for doing so become significantly below what they could get elsewhere. It is a matter of simple, and sometimes painful, economics. At any given moment, there is a balance between the number of workers, competitive wages and benefits, and productivity.
If wages and benefits in Kentucky were increased significantly, the coal companies would be required
to raise the price of their coal, making it less competitive and likely reducing demand. The result: workers out of a job. The workers don't want this either.
And so, both parties must look at the big picture - and discuss the big picture. Both parties desire an economic engine to pull people out of poverty, an education system to allow workers the ability to acquire highly paid jobs and industries that are gentle on the physical environment. This is where leadership comes in.
A true leader will find the common threads and motivate all parties involved to work toward the goal.
Fear
In my experience, at the heart of most conflict lies the emotion of fear. We have evolved with a certain amount of fear in our daily lives. Fear keeps us alive. It keeps us from getting hit by a car as we cross the road. It helps us remain competitive. Unfortunately, as our brains have developed and we have gained the ability to bring profound change to our environment, our fears can drive us to create some pretty unpleasant situations.
In each conflict, it is generally useful to look for the fear first. What fears might be driving each individual? Identifying the fears can then provide a trail to goals or desires and fertile ground for reconciliation.
So the next time a conflict arises, how will you manage it? Can you first determine if each party desires resolution and then find the common interests? View this as an opportunity to test and hone your leadership skills. The more you practice, the better you will become.
Joel DiGirolamo heads the firm Turbocharged Leadership and can be found on the web at www.turbochargedleadership.com.