Leadership Accelerator — Course 3 of 12 4 modules Certificate on completion

    Navigating High-Friction Leadership

    Lead through conflict and political minefields without losing composure or burning relationships.

    Overview

    Every leader has a relationship that costs them too much energy. Friction is not a personality problem — it is a leadership problem, and it has solutions. The leaders who advance furthest are not the ones who avoid difficult dynamics, but those who know exactly what to do when they are standing in the middle of one. We show you how to navigate political minefields, manage difficult stakeholders, and protect your team's mental bandwidth while maintaining the momentum of your most critical projects, regardless of the chaos surrounding you.

    Who is this for?

    • Leaders dealing with team conflict or organisational resistance
    • Managers navigating restructures, mergers, or high-pressure environments
    • Anyone who wants to lead through uncertainty without losing composure

    What you'll learn

    How to de-escalate a tense conversation before it causes lasting damage
    How to address conflict directly without making it personal
    How to turn a difficult working relationship into a functional and productive one

    Course Modules

    1

    The Business Case

    Confront the measurable cost of conflict avoidance and understand why unresolved friction is a compounding liability on your balance sheet.

    2

    Foundational Frameworks

    Master the SBII and DESC models to deliver objective, forward-looking feedback while managing difficult personality types.

    3

    The Manager's Ritual Library

    Establish structural routines like the Lean Check-In and the Red-Yellow-Green 1:1 Opener to surface tension before it escalates.

    4

    The Script Bank

    Utilise verified language for starting avoided conversations, de-escalating heated moments, and protecting team capacity under pressure.

    Implementation & Assessment

    Real-World Case Study

    The 'Brilliant Jerk'

    Re-establishing team norms in a high-friction environment.

    30-Day De-escalation Habit

    • Implement the Red-Yellow-Green 1:1 opener
    • Deliver one SBII feedback session per week
    • Map the team's conflict-trigger points

    The Conflict Neutraliser

    DESC Script Bank
    SBII Feedback Framework
    Conflict Diagnosis Checklist
    Emotional De-escalation Protocol

    Credential

    Earn a verified Certificate of Completion for Navigating High-Friction Leadership, recognised across the CreateOne Leadership network — downloadable and ready to add to your LinkedIn profile.

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    Interested in this course?

    Get in touch to discuss how this fits into your leadership development plan.

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