Choosing Your Battles

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As a manager I would guarantee adequate arguments about controversial ideas within teams by setting the best possible example. Introducing implicit issues among a group can undoubtedly result in destructive behaviors unless established positively. In order to not make a situation worse, a manager needs to be aware of which individuals they are dealing with and whether or not a conflict will be worth the consequences in a conclusive way that improves the organization for the better. It poses a large risk within a company to stir up conflicts, but in the end it can be more than valuable in resolving problems. There comes a time when controversial subjects are going to enter the workplace, but managers who handle them with ease and confidence will continue their successful streak if they aspire to do so.

Managers will often avoid conflicts in the workplace at all costs, but this is detrimental to a company. Instead, they should develop a plan to use said conflicts to produce constructive results. Sometimes managers believe that avoiding a situation will make it go away when in fact it will just recur again later. Instead, managers in this situation should aim to make it clear as to how the conflict could be resolved and reasons why it should be resolved. They need to make sure the lines of communication are open among all team members as well as themselves so that solutions are found in a timely manner. Making sure that past issues are not dragged into current situations is crucial to maintaining a positive outcome to a situation at hand. At absolutely no point should emotions take over to coerce any decisions being made while individuals should believe that the conflict is actually an opportunity not a harmful choice. With desire to resolve a conflict there is definitely a resolution to be found, but without the want for resolution it creates a barrier for a positive result to ensue.

There have been a countless number of situations in my personal life that have resulted in silence worsening a conflict. I have now chosen to live my life with accepting others’ differences and simply thinking “to each their own” if I may not totally agree with someone else’s opinion. I can recall arguments with my parents at a much younger age that resulted in them or I becoming passive aggressively silent when in fact communicating further would have concluded in days not spent avoiding each other in the house or at dinner. Couples frequently utilize the silent treatment towards one another instead of merely conversing about the circumstance at hand. Unless an individual has significant mind-reading powers, they are not going to be able to know what the other is thinking without communication about the situation. All in all, having remarkable communication skills will help you progress during conflicting situations in the workplace and even in your personal life.