I Use ‘The Traffic Light Approach’ For Proactive Conflict Resolution

Can’t read it here? No worries! You can always read it for free right here — no subscription needed! 😉📖

As a leader, my priority is ensuring team morale stays strong, even when a few difficult team members create challenges. To manage this effectively, I use a traffic light system — Green, Yellow, and Red — to categorize behaviours and conversations. This system helps me stay proactive rather than reactive, addressing potential conflicts before they escalate. Conflict can be within and outside the team, my focus is on internal conflicts as that directly impacts the teams moral, trust, collaboration.

The Traffic Light System

Green (Encourage & Reinforce)

These are the conversations and behaviours that contribute positively to the team’s morale, collaboration, and productivity. When I see these, I make sure to acknowledge, encourage, and reinforce them.

• Open communication, respectful debates, and constructive feedback.
• Collaboration across teams without friction.
• Team members stepping up to support each other.
• Ownership of tasks and proactive problem-solving.

Leadership Action:

• Publicly recognize and appreciate good behaviour.
• Encourage more of what’s working well.