The absence of conflict is not harmony, it's apathy.
Reflection
I think the key to this quote is context. There can be times where the absence of conflict is harmony. The main risk occurs when there’s any sort of authority or hierarchy. As a leader, when you don’t get push back against your ideas or initiatives, it’s super tempting (and perfectly understandable) to attribute that to the brilliance of the idea, the facility with which you communicated it, or just that you’re right. But it’s this very land mine you need to wonder about. Am I railroading because I’ve provided the HIPPO? Are subordinates not pushing back because they’ve given up the fight? The good news is, once you can get past the ego risk of maybe being wrong, there are lots of ways to check in. Attack your own position; see if it’s defended or the attack is welcome. Express concern or uncertainty about your position. This flies in the face of “strong opinions loosely held”. Just be wary if you get agreement with your “strong position”. It may be an unwillingness to fight back against you when you hold the positional authority. And, of course, we can’t talk about conflict without me wanting to share my favorite conflict image from author/illustrator Liz Fosslien:
