On Leadership and the Importance of Healthy Tension

Some leaders think that when you set up a healthy atmosphere, you eliminate tension. The business that eliminates tension will soon go under. The enemy is not tension, the enemy is negative tension. Healthy tension is quite productive. For instance, there should be a degree of tension between the legal organization’s focus on protection and the sales organization’s focus on revenue. This tension is healthy if it is managed properly. The role of a senior leader is not to referee fights, but it is also not to eliminate all tension. The role of the senior leader is to balance tension (with great nuance) so that the ultimate end is achieved.