Innovative Conflict Resolution

When friends and acquaintances would ask what I did for a living, I would often respond, “I argue with people.”  While some would laugh, I had the sense that most people felt sorry for me, because I was always in conflict. Little did they know that they, too, lived lives in conflict; they just didn’t realize it.

The fact is, all relationships involve an element of conflict, and all communication is a form of conflict resolution.  How we communicate and relate as lovers, children, parents, workers and any other role you can mention, involves bridging a gap between your unique perspective and that of others.  Our perspectives are comprised of our backgrounds, temperaments, experiences and beliefs; those things that make us unique. And, being unique means that we’re different from everyone else.

We may share certain ideals with those we work with, such as common goals or understands of what we do, but I’m willing to bet that our unique qualities results in each member of the team having a slightly different perspective on how to achieve those common goals.  Just try suggesting the team go out for lunch at someplace new and unusual, or suggest some new workflow, and see what kind of discussions result.

Overcoming gaps in perspective – that is, communication – is conflict resolution at its most basic level.  We are all experienced in conflict resolution. However, some are obviously better at it than others, and very few people approach it intentionally or even have the tools with which to do so.

It seems to me that as long as we have to live lives in conflict, the more we understand about conflict and ways to approach conflict, the better off we’d be.  What could conflict training / coaching do for you, your family, your board or your business?  Improve communication and decision-making, build relationships, save time wasted in miscommunication, increase productivity, and in general make people happier and more relaxed.  And shoot, you may even have fun in the process.