Conflicts are inevitable. However, arguments are avoidable.
Conflicts are as common to the work space as breathing to human beings; it is natural and logical to have discerning points of view on projects and ideas. It doesn’t mean that the world is crumbling and everything is lost, as we sometimes tend to think. Moreover, conflicts are discussions worth having, because avoiding them causes resentment, frustration and apathy. Here are some tips to focus on how to drive through the bumps without having a crash:
It’s all about the goals
Stick to the facts and the set goals for the task in hand. It is easy to get tangled in meaningless arguments if you lost the plot and someone probably will end up hurt. The goal is the key thing here.
Repeat mode
Repeating concepts, points of view or ideas is useful to make sure all of the people involved in a conflict are on the same page. Another useful technique is rewording what your colleague has stated to develop empathy and understanding.
It’s really not personal
And that’s how it should stay. Taking things personally is one of the worst things one can do at work; also, saying things in a hurtful way in order to make someone take comments personally is very negative too. And exceedingly childish.
It’s only work
At the end of the day, it’s just work. Keeping that in mind is the first step to finding a good solution to any kind of problem.
