60 SECONDS ON BUSINESS
Know your choices when conflict arises

By Dr. Drake Beil
President, Solutions Inc.

Conflicts can be creative forces in an organization. You have choices in how to respond to these conflicts. Your choices are often defined by your status, your role in the company and your willingness to get out of the box you find yourself in when resolving the problem.

The key is understanding the box you're in! To get an idea of your preferences for conflict management, rank these five questions in order of which you are most likely to do when faced with a conflict situation at work:

1. Let others take responsibility for solving the problem.
2. Sacrifice my own wishes for the wishes of the other person.
3. Be firm in pursuing my goals.
4. Try to find a compromise solution.
5. Seek the other person's help in working out a solution.

Each of these choices has good points and each can cause more problems. Determining the cause of the conflict, knowing which conflict resolution approach is your primary strategy, and understanding the primary approaches of others can be helpful.

If you can change or adapt your approach, your employees or co-workers will have to respond differently. Don't worry about changing them; to manage conflicts better, change yourself.

Reach Dr. Drake Beil at drake@60secondsonbusiness.