How To Resolve Conflicts In Your Professional Life?

Difference of opinion is inevitable when dealing with different kinds of people, but the key is in how to resolve conflict. A thoughtful post.

Right from my childhood, I have been known as someone who loves to fight with her sister, is rebellious in nature, and does not mind speaking out what she feels is correct.

However, as the years went by I found myself a changed person. It will be difficult to pinpoint exactly when I changed, but the change was definitely there. In fact, I have analyzed my way of resolving conflicts only after I realized that I had changed.

In my professional life, I am happy to observe that in my more than 10 years of career I have had very few conflicts. And in spite of having them, I still have a very healthy relationship with most of my ex-colleagues. Some of them are now my closest friends.

A difference of ideas or opinions is bound to happen when you work in a team. In fact, that is what helps in making a project or a concept better. The key thing is not to be personal in these discussions, not to be argumentative, keeping your mind cool, and to definitely be a good listener. If while the other person is talking you keep on thinking only about when he / she will finish so you can start, you might miss out on points that are important. Also, you might point a problem of which the other person has already provided a solution, and it will only frustrate them further.

Also during the discussion, let the other person know with which of his / her points you agree. Appreciate where you feel they have thought of something which did not come to your mind. And after the discussion is over, be back to the friendly terms you were earlier on. A team works better when everyone is working together. Go out for a coffee, have a chat about other matters, namely build a relationship and keep it.

It is true, we all in our hearts know that everyone is a competitor nowadays, but that does not mean you have to carry the label of competition all the time. Let the competition results show through your work rather than through petty conflicts.

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As far as personal relationships are concerned, it is really difficult to present one single solution. Each relationship is different from the other and I do not think one solution can work for all.

But being a good listener definitely helps. The key point is to listen to others and explaining your point. We are more prone to lose our temper in our personal relationships than in our professional lives. Maybe because we love and care about our personal relationships more and cannot accept when they do not agree with our opinion.

However, to sum it up, trying to keep your temper in check, being a good listener, and not holding on to grudges helps in resolving conflicts in every relationship whether professional or personal.

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Image source: conflict at work by Shutterstock.

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