considered a problem. Everyone else had already concluded that the aggressive style each of them showed was the reason the company couldn’t make any decisions. “I don’t think either of them is really sick,” the CEO confided in me. “I think they just don’t want to deal with all the touchy-feely stuff you make people talk about.” I nodded and joked

The Myth of Conflict-Free Growth Another hallmark of maverick management is the attempt to suppress conflicts in pursuit of an idealized vision of perfect harmony. We just saw that suppressing structural conflicts can be extremely damaging. But even the more destructive kinds of personal conflicts are inevitable as any startup grows.

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. Most of us are familiar with situations where people are unwilling or afraid to present unpleasant truths. In many cases, who can blame them? The unspoken rule in all too many companies is: We don’t want to see anything negative, even if it is true; we like our rose-colored glasses. Ignoring facts,