Can’t We Just Get Along?                                                                                                                                 

Most of us spend more time in the workplace than at home, so it is no wonder that the average company, business, department, work group, or committee becomes as much like a family as the one at home. This creates closeness, but that same intimacy can challenge our ability to get along with every person we work with. Let’s face it, some people just rub us the wrong way, and the more we allow that frustration to eat at us, the more difficult it will be to resolve the conflict that builds within us.

Here are a nine practical ways to cope with conflicts:

1. Find common ground. Nothing will help a relationship more than “connecting” with the person you find challenging to work with. Be clever. Think and act in a way that will build rapport, not tear it down.
2. Go the extra mile. Take the first step in resolving the problem. Yes, that often means saying you’re sorry for what you said or did, but the person who starts the process of reconciliation is always the strongest, not the weakest.
3. Adjust your expectations. Some people are simply miserable, so realize that you may be dealing with one. Everyone in the workplace doesn’t have to be your best friend. You don’t need intimacy. Reasonable compatibility will do.
4. Treat the person like you want to be treated. I know. That means being nice, but you could do a lot worse than this by being difficult, ornery, or disagreeable. Just do it.
5. Check your ego at the door. Don’t let your ego get the best of you. If you really want to try to get along, don’t brag, don’t show off, and don’t lord it over people. You don’t always have to win. Or do you?
6. Be dependable.       Dependable people can be relied on.       They are consistent and predictable. When all else fails, you can be the steady person that keeps your commitments and exhibits the qualities of professionalism that others may lack.
7. Develop a thicker skin. Learn to overlook social or professional slights that can otherwise make you crazy. It isn’t easy to get over things, but my advice: get over them.
8. Know when to engage, and when to back off. Not every issue is worth an argument.       Pick you fights carefully, and make them ones that are fundamental to professional courtesy.
9. Be gracious. When all else fails, be kind and be the bigger person. That doesn’t make you a doormat that people walk on.       It makes you the more mature professional.

If none of these things make sense to you, then you’re most likely the source of your problems, and I can’t really help you.

Here are a few Business & Life Tips to think about…..

Business Tips:

• When you learn the value of doing what others are unwilling to do, you begin to take hold of the role of responsible leadership.
• In business, you should always be planting seeds, watering, harvesting, and pruning. Do all four all of the time for success.
• The best way to get ahead where you work is to seek greater responsibility, demonstrate professionalism, and deliver results.

Life Tips:

• The biggest challenges you face are also your biggest opportunities to shine. Adversity can bring out greatness. Embrace it.
• Ask yourself: Am I reproducing myself in others, helping them to grow and develop, or am I holding on to knowledge just for me?
• Being right is never a justification for being uncaring. The words we express represent what is going on deep inside us.

Here are a few past articles written by Bill:

Blind Spots

Good Leaders Possess Sound Judgment

Culture Check

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