Whatever you do, you don’t want to fall into the trap of sticking your head in the sand and hoping the situation resolves itself. Many people have a misconception about conflicts… that they resolve themselves or dissipate over time. Well, we know that’s not true, don’t we? If it were true, there would be no such thing as, knots in the stomach, sleepless nights, mustering up the courage to confront personal issues and emotionally draining interactions. We would also have lost touch with reality and we wouldn’t be human! As long as we are human, we will always need strategies, skills and Key Steps to…
Deal with difficult situations when they arise!
Your Key Steps Coaching for the week ahead:
1. Don’t let things fester. Sure, we can ignore issues – or learn to live with them – but the chances are slim that they’ll evaporate into thin air and then all will be well with the world again. The fact is that conflict must often be resolved the same way it was started in the first place – through human action. It must be confronted, addressed and worked through. Will doing so be pleasant? Probably not. Is that a good enough reason to avoid issues? Definitely not! I am not suggesting you always deal with conflict insantly (in the heat of the moment), you might need to take a few minutes (hours or days – only you can know what’s ‘right’) and use the ‘time-out’ to figure out your approach.
2. Let time heal (but only after you have cleaned the wound). Cleaning the wound will depend on the type of wound, so there is no one size fits all approach. I can suggest a few things that help though… remain calm (practise stress management techniques – call us if you need a workshop to help you with this), see the person you are working through this with as a potential ally, really listen and acknowledge their feelings and thoughts, apologise for your part in it when necessary, focus on finding a solution and preventive strategies for the future and aim for a WIN-WIN. And, always remember that YOU CAN…
