Conflict.
What does that word make you think?
Some people want to ignore conflict and hope it goes away. They take the “Bury Your Head In The Sand” approach.
They know it doesn’t work, but they dislike conflict. Truth be told they’re a little afraid of it.
Then there are the people who love a good argument. They’re happy to defend their corner because they know they’re right.
Unfortunately, being ‘right’ isn’t great for relationships. It can permanently damage rapport and lead to further problems.
Workplace conflict is also a big drain your business. A 2008 study questioned 5,000 full-time employees in nine countries around Europe and the Americas.
They found that 25% of people call in sick or stay away from work because of workplace conflict.
The primary causes of workplace conflicts are personality clashes and warring egos (49%), followed by stress (34%) and heavy workloads (33%).
The study also found that the average employee spends 2.1 hours a week dealing with conflict. That’s about one day a month!
Unfortunately, there’s a big discrepancy between how well managers think they handle conflict, and how well others think they handle it.
Nearly a third (31%) of managers think they handle disagreements well, but only 22% of non-mangers agree.
Given the impact this can have on your business, it’s important to handle conflict effectively.So how exactly do you do that?
So how exactly do you do that?
Well, I’ve found there are six keys to managing conflict effectively.
The Key To Resolving Conflict
These techniques will help you resolve conflict effectively and even elegantly. But there’s something missing.
You see, there’s something that you need to find inside yourself so you can handle conflict well.
It’s something we don’t often use.
It’s something society needs more of.
It’s something that is worth the effort every time you drag it out and dust it off.
That thing is your courage. As Winston Churchill once said:
“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”
You need to have the courage to face conflict before it escalates.
You need to have the courage to set aside any ideas of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ and instead search for solutions.
You need to have the courage to suspend judgement, avoid blame and listen calmly.
So the next time conflict rears its’ head in your world, dig deep and find the courage to deal with it effectively.
