Can We Prevent Everyday Conflicts?

SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwire - Jun 24, 2011) - It starts in the morning with the kids before you go to work, then kicks into second gear with your co-workers or your boss, and finally culminates at home with your spouse and children. It's conflict, and it doesn't have to be a part of your daily life, according to Tim Scudder, CEO of a firm that prepares executives on how to better deal with the conflict in the workplace.

"The key to managing conflict isn't just about pushing them to resolution, but also learning how to have nicer conflicts," said Scudder, CEO of Personal Strengths USA and co-author of "Have a Nice Conflict: A Story of Finding Success and Satisfaction in the Most Unlikely Places" (www.haveaniceconflict.com). "As one set of conflicts is resolved, others will take their place, so it's important to learn how to make conflicts productive and positive experiences."

Scudder's five keys to conflict include:

• Anticipate - Anticipating conflict starts with knowing who you're dealing with. Then ask yourself how various people might view the same situation differently. When two or more people see things differently, there is the potential for conflict.

• Prevent - Preventing conflict is really all about the deliberate, appropriate use of behavior in your relationships. A well-chosen behavior on your part can prevent conflict with another person. But you need to prevent conflict in yourself sometimes too, and that might have more to do with choosing your perceptions than choosing your behaviors.

• Identify - There are three basic approaches in conflict: rising to the challenge, cautiously withdrawing, or wanting to keep the peace. When you can identify these approaches, you are empowered to handle the situation more productively.

• Manage - Managing conflict has two components: managing yourself and managing the relationship. Managing yourself in conflict can be as easy as taking some time to see things differently.

• Resolve - To create movement toward resolution we need to show the other person a path back to feeling good about themselves. When they feel good about themselves, they are less likely to feel threatened and are free to move toward a compromise and resolution.

About Tim Scudder

Tim Scudder, CPA is the President of Personal Strengths Publishing, Inc. He has consulted with the organization development, training, and human resources departments of many organizations.