When managers can’t work through disagreement, friction has a way of rolling uphill. Drawing on Priya Parker’s ideas about apology, group identity, and “meter checks,” Russ Powell explores how management teams can handle difficult conversations more effectively—and why distinguishing disagreement from emotionally charged conflict matters.

My path started with music, juggling, and comedy. But it was the science of human performance improvement that taught me how to get results. On The Spark Konnect podcast with Kassy LaBorie, we dug into what artists who work in business have to learn: the showmanship gets their attention, but the science is what changes the organization.