Sam Page
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Harmonic tension

People and behaviour1 min readSam Page

"Harmonic tension"

I heard this phrase last week for the first time, and it's really stuck with me.

The talk was by Samuel Robberts from The LCap Group at the Business Leader Summit.

The idea is that the best leadership teams, and groups, don't avoid tension.
They hold it.

The difference between harmonic tension and conflict is pretty clear when you've experienced both.

Harmonic tension comes from shared goals. It can be uncomfortable, but people leave the room feeling sharper.

Conflict, the unhelpful kind, gets personal.
It becomes about ego or territory, and people leave drained.

I've been lucky enough to serve on boards that have that harmonic magic.

And I've sat in rooms where it's tipped the other way. Same tension, completely different energy.

The difference comes down to whether people are pulling in the same direction, even when they disagree.

Something you have experienced too?

First published on LinkedIn.

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---
title: "Harmonic tension"
url: https://sam-page.com/thinking/harmonic-tension
date: 2026-03-28
author: Sam Page
type: Post or article
categories: [People and behaviour]
reading_time: 1 min
summary: "\"Harmonic tension\""
first_published: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn%3Ali%3Ashare%3A7443594894109093888
---

# Harmonic tension

"Harmonic tension"

![](https://sam-page.com/img/thinking/harmonic-tension-li1.webp)

I heard this phrase last week for the first time, and it's really stuck with me.

The talk was by Samuel Robberts from The LCap Group at the Business Leader Summit.

The idea is that the best leadership teams, and groups, don't avoid tension.  
They hold it.

The difference between harmonic tension and conflict is pretty clear when you've experienced both.

Harmonic tension comes from shared goals. It can be uncomfortable, but people leave the room feeling sharper.

Conflict, the unhelpful kind, gets personal.  
It becomes about ego or territory, and people leave drained.

I've been lucky enough to serve on boards that have that harmonic magic.

And I've sat in rooms where it's tipped the other way. Same tension, completely different energy.

The difference comes down to whether people are pulling in the same direction, even when they disagree.

Something you have experienced too?