Bruno's Web Tip

Bruno Gideon is a regular columnist for the SCCC website. Bruno will share some of his wisdom with our readers by giving useful tips for everyday life and practical advice for today’s entrepreneurs.

Bruno will also love to hear back from our readers by e-mail.

Are You in a Conflict?

Whenever you’re in conflict with someone, there is one factor that can make the difference between damaging your relationship and deepening it.

That factor is attitude.
-- William James

Nobody likes dealing with conflicts, especially when strong feelings are involved. But there is no way around it: conflicts are a fact of life. What matters is the way we react to them. When drawn into a conflict, some seek revenge. Others may act macho, cave in, or look for a scapegoat. Some try to ignore the situation, hoping that the problem will go away. But none of these are viable solutions. And the longer a conflict goes unsolved, the harder it will eventually lash back at us.

Differences can be opportunities for creative and effective solutions, but we all have our emotions and they often override what could have been a positive interaction. When we experience feelings of dislike, alienation, and disregard then we know that something went wrong and our main focus should be to fix the problem and stop wasting our time.

Are you involved in arguments at work or at home? Are you having thoughts like “Who does he think I am?” or “I will show them!”? Is revenge on your mind? The best advice I can give you is to deal with the conflict now. Put aside your emotions and get back to basics. Ask yourself, “What is this conflict really about?” Be active and do not let the problem run its course. Begin with a sincere desire to find a way out for both parties. Pull back when you experience pushback. Then let some time pass and tackle the problem again. But what if it is unsolvable right now? That may be a reality that you simply have to accept, but it won’t hurt to try again after a few weeks or months.

Are you in a conflict right now? Don’t procrastinate – deal with it now!