Several months ago I was asked to be the key note speaker at the Missouri Speech and Hearing (MSHA) Conference: Waves of Involvement/Oceans of Opportunity.  The invitation came from a former student and current president of the MSHA, Beth McKerlie. The topic was to be about leadership and so in keeping with the conference theme, my title was "Rough waters and Stormy Seas: A True Test of Leadership". I started with a quote from Henry Mintzberg, Canadian scholar and author, that I thought fit the occasion: "Leadership, like swimming cannot be learned by reading about it". The message I wish to underscore here is that learning to lead is a process of learning by doing.

For many of us, once we dipped our toes into the leadership pool we were hooked.  For others, the waters were not as friendly. The focus of the MSHA presentation and the thrust of my recent work as Vice Provost, Academic Personnel and Dean of Interdisciplinary General Education is on conflict management.

If the workplace is like an ocean, effective conflict management is a leader's life raft. At times, leadership may not be smooth sailing.   As leaders we sometimes feel like we are drowning in conflict. Yet, conflict in and of itself is not a problem. It is how we handle conflict that matters and that often defines us as leaders. To paraphrase Michele Obama, being a leader doesn't change who you are, it reveals who you are.

A brief post is not sufficient for a deep dive into this topic but will hopefully wet your interests. You may ask yourselves as I did: am I ready to lead in rough waters and stormy seas? Will I sink or swim as a leader? Can I keep my head above water while others rock the boat and make waves? I believe that conflict management may be the true test of leadership.