Brazen Leaders - The Human Edge
#82 - Conflict Intelligence: the leadership skill no one trains you for
Feb 05, 2026
Season 6
Episode 82
Amélie Beerens
Most leaders say they value open communication.
And yet, conflict is the one thing they consistently avoid.
Not because they don’t know how to handle it.
But because stepping into conflict threatens their image, their comfort, and their sense of belonging.
In this episode of Brazen Leaders – The Human Edge, we talk about what conflict avoidance really is:
not emotional intelligence, not maturity, but a quiet abdication of leadership responsibility.
You’ll hear why:
- avoiding conflict creates false peace and stabilizes broken systems
- “letting people sort it out themselves” is not neutral leadership
- silence reshapes power long before anything explodes
- psychological safety without truth is just politeness in disguise
- and why leaders who disappear from conflict always pay later
This is not an episode about “having difficult conversations.”
It’s about what leadership actually costs when you choose comfort over clarity.
If you’re competent, well-intentioned, and exhausted by carrying things you shouldn’t be carrying anymore, this one will hit close to home.
Listen with curiosity.
Stay until the end.
And ask yourself the question most leaders avoid.