This is the second in a series of articles about using the SMART checklist.

When we’re writing goals or building out tasks for a job role, I think most folks know that they need to be specific. But it can be tricky to land on the right level of specificity—not enough, and the task or goal is vague or unclear, too specific runs the risk of micromanaging and not allowing for creativity and autonomy.

This is the intro to a series of articles about using the SMART checklist to help you accomplish more with not just goals, but project, strategic planning, and everyday tasks as well.

Conflict has gotten a really bad rap lately, and I think too many people think that we should work to avoid conflict. I’d like to challenge that thinking… at least in certain contexts. I want to make a case for the intransitive verb form of conflict ~
“to be different, opposed, or contradictory: to fail to be in agreement or accord.”

To do their best work, to be innovative and productive, people need to feel safe. They need to know that they can tell the truth, take risks, and make a mistake without fear of punishment. The truth is that mistakes are going to happen no matter what you do, but when you cultivate an environment of safety, where your team admits when things go wrong and takes the time to learn from that, you’ll likely see productivity increase and mistakes decrease. Here are some ideas to help build a culture of safety.

Candid conversations are not necessarily only ones about negative behavior. What I really mean is a conversation based on honesty and transparency, and I believe that conversations like these build trust, free up creativity, and build resilience.

I think they are critical, but I don’t think they are easy. They require bravery and vulnerability and enough confidence in ourselves to be ok with not knowing all the answers.

Like most people, I’m doing lots of video conferencing these days. I’ve seen lots of technical tips about how to make the software work better and how to protect from interlopers. I’ve seen some best practices, like placing your camera at eye level and making sure that you have clothes on!

But the thing that bothers me the most in group discussions is people talking over the top of each other. This article offers some ideas for managing that.