In everyday working life, it’s likely you will experience conflict of some sort. Others may have different ideas or different ways of doing things and people don’t always see eye to eye. Sometimes it’s difficult not to take that personally - but stay professional and keep your working relationships intact.
In everyday working life you will definitely come into conflict, and it’s about conflict management: trying to resolve a conflict without affecting the relationships you have. And that’s something that can be really hard, especially if it’s something you’re passionate about.
Disagreements can pop up all the time. It may be with somebody you’re working for, it may be somebody who’s actually in your team. So it’s really good to get these resolved as soon as possible.
Always make sure you have a conversation with that person in person, because things never really translate well over email; no-one can read each other’s emotions, or what people are actually trying to say, so in person is definitely important.
Don’t be abrupt, and don’t get angry.
When it comes to situations in the kitchen, don’t act like, just, shouting at each other, because it just doesn’t really get you anywhere.
Be honest about the situation, and if something is your fault own up to it and say, “I’m sorry, that was my bad, won’t happen again.”In a business environment, if you have a disagreement, I would always avoid being aggressive or being over-emotional, or saying something that you may regret.
One key piece of information I would give to you all is to be able to separate your business and personal self. This is really important. Just because somebody didn’t like your business idea or service, doesn’t mean they don’t like you as a person.
Try and find a way that you can all move on from the situation, because you all have to work together and you might not like the person but you work with the person, so it’s just a matter of, kind of, getting past it and moving on so you can be productive.
Top tips to take away
- Whether it’s a disagreement with someone you’re working for, or someone in your team, it’s a good idea to get things resolved as soon as possible
- Have a conversation in person when resolving disagreements - it translates better face-to-face and is easier than trying to read someone’s emotions over email
- Try not to get over emotional - you may say something you might regret
- Avoid being aggressive, abrupt, getting angry and shouting
- Be honest about the situation - if something’s your fault then just say so. Everyone makes mistakes, just apologise and show that you’ve learnt from your mistake
- Separate your business and personal selves: just because someone doesn’t like a business idea or the way you did something, it doesn’t mean they don’t like you as a person.
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