Are you afraid of conflict? This is perfectly normal! Instinctively, our brains tell us that conflict is dangerous, so our natural inclination is to do battle or run away.

However, fear of conflict can turn leaders, managers and employees into ‘psychological hostages’ who are paralyzed and unable to challenge others.

The truth is that we can use well-managed conflict to bring enormous benefits to people and companies. In fact, conflict management is often one of the biggest drivers of change. Properly handled, it can help people to be more innovative and can create stronger bonds, build effective teams and improve performance. The key is to openly face an issue and negotiate a win-win outcome. Here, you can find the six essential skills for managing conflict.

The World Leadership Forum Mexico has officially kicked off! And we’re here on the blog recapping the inspirational speeches as we go. The first speaker this morning was George Kohlrieser, an international leadership professor and veteran hostage negotiator who applies his unique perspectives to business settings -- teaching leaders how to overcome conflict and achieve success.

Here we give a short re-cap of the speech that included both concepts and was to apply practical ideas in order to be a truly great leader. Here are 8 tips from Kohlrieser’s speech on how to be an effective leader.