Dealing With Conflict

Monday, April 30, 2012

Conflict is a natural part of any business environment and most people have a difficult time dealing with conflict so what do we do?  We get GOOD at dealing with conflict!!  Here are some helpful insights-

  

First Things First:  INTERNAL CONFLICT

internalconflict 

Before we can deal with external conflict, we have to be able to get honest with ourselves.  Internal Conflict can manifest itself by how we work, how we handle our internal dialogue and the personal bars we set in our own lives.  When we engage in positive self talk and recognition of  what our personal best really is, we can begin to deal with any type of conflict or challenge we have personally.  Monitoring our work and being aware of what we do each day is the best way to be prepared when things get a little crazy.  When we notice our productivity decreasing, we can review our previously monitored performance as well as our self talk and make the necessary adjustments.  Being able to handle internal conflict, makes dealing with others even easier!

 

Then There Was:  EXTERNAL CONFLICT

external_conflict

Inevitably, we are going to be faced with conflict caused by others in the workspace.  The very best thing to do in any situation is to remember your deisred end result!  We all want to enjoy the work environment, we would all like to enjoy those we work with and we all want to feel like we are doing the best that we can.  With this desired outcome, dealing with External Conflict becomes MUCH easier!  Take the time to consider the situation from the other person's point of view and use your communication skills to share your experience.  If you confront without being confrontational- you will have a much better chance of solving a problem and improving the overall work performance.  Keeping your head about you and trusting that your team has the same desired end result that you do, will help you to handle external conflict like a champion.

 

And Finally:  ENVIRONMENTAL CONFLICT

15815_conflict

There will always be things in life that are beyond our control, we call it Environmental Conflict.  Internal conflict is an inside job- we control every part of the problem and the solution.  External conflict is typically caused by members of our team and we can quickly resolve the issues by keeping our desired end result in mind.  But what about those things that are completely out of our control?  The economy, gas prices, catastrophic events, business climate changes etc., can really cause conflict in our world.  The strongest way to approach these types of conflict is to make sure we are doing what we can to control our own environment and then just ROLLING WITH THE PUNCHES.  We cannot control everything but the things we can control, make all the difference! 

 

For any type of conflict- use these quick tips:

  • Check Your Attitude
  • Monitor Your Personal Performance
  • Keep Your Desired End Result in Mind
  • Roll With the Punches

 

Cheri Perry 4/30/2012