Does your team have these 5 core leadership qualities?

When dealing with conflict, we need a balcony (the ability to have a broader perspective), a golden bridge (that takes their concerns seriously) and a "third side" (an untapped set of allies) to help reveal commonalities and innovative solutions, writes William Ury, author and co-founder of Harvard's Program on Negotiation. "A critical mass of persuasive influence and ideas from the community can help the parties find a way out," Ury writes.

Put it into practice: End conflicts by becoming a "possibilist," someone who believes they can transform conflicting sides into community, writes Ury. "No conflict is too difficult. Since conflicts are made by humans, they can be transformed by humans."

Alaina Love's coaching client, Matt, was in a conundrum; he wanted to assess the capabilities of his team and find a potential successor, so Love helped him identify five core characteristics of leadership he needed to look for in his team, including a strategic mindset, the courage to take the lead while still emphasizing collaboration and potential for growth. "Given the challenges the organization faced, Matt was keen to identify team members willing to take on projects in new areas where they had little prior experience," Love writes.

Put it into practice: Another critical leadership quality to look for in your team is their ability to respectfully disagree on issues and seek common ground, Love writes. Respect, Love notes, is the foundation of a "team's ability to generate and act on the best ideas."

When preparing for a presentation or speech, aim for the sweet spot between over-preparing (which tends to focus you on content over the audience) and winging it (which sets you up for myriad disasters), writes speaking coach Gary Genard. "Your whole task as a speaker every time you speak is to serve the needs of the audience. That requires understanding listeners and their needs, and considering how you can deliver what you say in their terms," Genard notes.

Put it into practice: Make your last-minute preparations not about the content of your speech or presentation but about ways to connect with your audience, Genard recommends. "We want this talk to be an exciting journey into knowledge or belief. Please, lead us!"

Bye. Twenty-eight percent of respondents are headed out the door in the next 12 months. Guess what, leaders? These results are probably indicative of your team members' sentiments too. If you're not careful, you're going to have some vacancies to fill.

We all know it's cheaper (and more effective) to keep the talent you have versus finding new employees. Do what you can to keep your folks on board. Don't make the foolish short-term decision on being cheap on a bonus or raise that they deserve only to cost yourself a great employee and possibly replace them with someone who isn't a fit for the role or takes 6-12 months to achieve role competence.

Take care of your talent or another organization will be more than happy to have them fill a vacant role on their team.

-- Mike Figliuolo is managing director of thoughtLEADERS, which includes TITAN -- the firm's e-learning platform. Previously, he worked at McKinsey & Co., Capital One and Scotts Miracle-Gro. He is a West Point graduate and author of three leadership books: "One Piece of Paper," "Lead Inside the Box" and "The Elegant Pitch."

For Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian, the COVID-19 pandemic seemed overwhelming and endless, especially when his mother likely died from the virus, but Delta rebounded by focusing on cleaning protocols and transparency, a practice that continues to this day. "We tell people what we need them to know and do, and when they ask us, we give them our very, very best insight as to how we see the future and what's happening around and why we do make some of the decisions that we've had," Bastian said in an interview at the SXSW festival.

The cooling effect on the ground, when the sun is eclipsed by the moon (an event many will see on April 8), causes the dissipation of cumulus clouds during the event, which may enhance eclipse viewing, according to new research. Other types of clouds may still hamper viewing; however, scientists say discovering why cumulus clouds, in particular, disappear during an eclipse could have profound implications for technologies aimed at cooling the planet overall.

William Ury's take on how to handle conflicts offers some great ideas and techniques to try. I was especially struck by his suggestion to write your opponent's "victory speech" for them. You do this by imagining that they have accepted your proposal. Imagine three critical pieces of this speech, and you'll arrive at what they value and what they need, then work backward on how to persuade them that your proposal fulfills their requirements.

"Whether it is asking your boss for a raise or figuring out how to end a war, I find this thought experiment can open creative possibilities we hadn't imagined before," Ury writes.

How do you deal with conflict? Tell me.

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