Conflict is unavoidable — inevitable even. But, breaking news: It can still be handled with clarity and maturity.
Some counterproductive behaviors to avoid:
Being unwilling to listen with an open mind
Making it personal instead of focusing on the issues at hand
Passive-aggressive tactics like sarcasm, negative body language, vocal tone, and more
Not acknowledging where you agree and are aligned
Viewing a disagreement as a competition to be “won”
Not holding yourself accountable or apologizing when necessary
The foundation of conflict resolution is built upon direct, honest, and respectful communication. This, of course, involves active, empathetic listening. When you develop discerning ears to hear, you can more easily recognize that:
You limit yourself and your growth when you don’t question your own beliefs
Each of us can simultaneously hold multiple diverse perspectives
Everyone sees the world through the lens of their own conditioning (attachment style, how their parents treated them, schooling, pop culture, etc.)
Sometimes, agreeing to disagree is the most useful available option
Most times, some form of compromise is required
So much learning and growth can occur when you choose to listen with curiosity
Even when someone holds a different opinion, you can still love them and show them compassion
All of us are wrong at least as often as we’re right
Like any skill, productive conflict resolution can be learned — if we’re willing to forego pride. Once acquired, the skill of healthy conflict resolution can also very much be taught.
The rewards we could collectively reap from such skill-sharing becoming a widespread trend are infinite.
Coda: This post is about much more than pandemic-related grievances.
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Very down to earth. I appreciate your work.
thankfully to every bad there is a good ! thanks to the scamdemic, I realized that the people I thought were friends were not really, and that some I hardly thought of, were the real ones ! There is no hatred, but the old ones are now drifting towards others they more agree with, and the 'islands' are just changing form and countenance ! Plenty of people out there ! all different, all unique.