Ironically, you have an opportunity to take a relationship to the next level of trust after a conflict situation. Think of a time when you had a poor customer service experience, if you brought the experience to management, how was it resolved? If it was resolved to your satisfaction and more, they turned a negative experience into a positive one. You trusted that they will come through, even if there is an issue. In order to rise to that level of trust in conflict situations, you must be able to:
Adapt
Nothing is more irritating than being in conflict with another person who is rigidly adhering to their set of rules and unwilling to adapt to the particular situation. Be willing to look at the situation objectively and let go of resentment, bias, and inflexible thinking. Look at the situation through the Customer’s point of view.
Keep the Relationship Warm
Just because you are coming from opposite viewpoints, you don’t have to treat each other coldly or rudely. That only deepens the resentment in the conflict situation. Try to continue to connect on a human level with the other person.
Listen to Values
Sometimes a conflict situation gets bogged down in petty details. If you can focus on the values of the other person and look for shared values, you can often find a way to resolve the conflict.
Act on What You Hear
If another person has an issue with you and feels strongly enough about it to express it, it is your responsibility as a professional to act on that communication. You show your good faith in trying to bring the conflict to a mutually acceptable resolution.
Follow Up
You can’t simply walk away from a conflict situation and expect that everything is resolved. People need time to cool off and process solutions. Follow up with the other person and check to see that you have moved beyond the conflict in your relationship.
Be Willing to Change Yourself
How can you expect other to change if you can’t change yourself? Someone once said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, but expecting different results. To put the conflict behind you permanently, you have to demonstrate that you are doing your best to change.
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Copyright 2017. Original content by Dale Carnegie & Associates