Consider the following principles:

• Intention: Know what you want to say and be clear about your objective. 
• Organization: Take the time to organize your thoughts and deliver them in a straightforward way.
• Framing: “I think, I feel” is much more effective than starting with “you,” which puts people on the defensive.
• Affirmation:  Asking if the information makes sense may reveal a potential problem. 

• Curiosity is a natural part of any creative cycle. It paves the way for “possibility thinking,” rather than business as usual. 
• Instigation is an invitation to challenge quick fixes, lackluster solutions and mediocrity. 

• Strategic analysis helps to identify complex problems by providing a top-level view into the interconnected web of what can often seem like isolated issues.
• Analytical thinking enables people to suspend emotional decision making and instead look logically at evidence-based research and tests.

In order to get into problem-solving mode, you need to understand the true problem at hand, identify challenges in the way, resist simple solutions, identify constraints and pathways to feasibility, and, above all, make sure you’re open to experimentation. 

Among the most effective skills to learn in order to resolve conflict are mastering deep listening, mediation and facilitation. 

Giving people the benefit of the doubt and leading with curiosity are also powerful tools. 

They are not required just for the sales team. You need to be clear about what you want and what you’re willing to let go of to get it.

A great leader will understand that it’s not enough to build a culture, it needs to be protected and maintained. 

A great leader also needs to make difficult decisions and hold everyone, including themselves, accountable.