What to do When You Like What You Do, But don't Like What's Around You (A Case Study in Conflict Resolution)

I Like what I do. Well, good for me, right? But, there are times when I run into problems at work I wish would just dry up and blow away. Pressure from deadlines & scheduling, and problems with new team members who don't fully know the workings of the organization can create overwhelming feelings for almost anybody. Although I am generally an effective communicator, I sometimes need to come up with custom solutions to unique situations as they arise.

Poor interdepartmental communication can be very frustrating to deal with on a daily basis, especially when a new person takes over an existing position and they make questionable decisions right off the bat, without getting to know the people they affect when they make those decisions. Perhaps it's a case of the new person not being fully trained or perhaps they want to introduce new policies to demonstrate their value, leadership and initiative.

Recently, I found myself in a situation where the protocol had changed without me being informed. This lead to feelings of resentment and inferior teamwork but I didn't let it get to the point of poor productivity, although even that crept in a little bit on it's own as a result. The initial problem was that of poor communication which had a domino effect on my livelihood, including major scheduling problems and fewer opportunities; not to mention reduced profit. A revolution was indeed in progress.

A few months went by as I maintained a very patient appearance in order to identify what the actual problem was and to remain rational about the whole thing so I could solve it effectively on my own. All too often, I've seen people react very impulsively in similar situations only to make matters worse - something I've trained myself to avoid from many years of field work. To me, this situation was like a puzzle I had to solve rather than get frustrated and throw the pieces on the floor in a fit of rage (rash decisions are often a bad idea as very little can be learned from them).

After careful analysis, I decided that the best thing to do to maintain a high level of professionalism and effective teamwork, was to approach the person and tell them face to face how the new policies they chose to introduce were affecting me and how I was used to a certain way of working with the company. It is important to know that I did so in a very rational manner, while showing I was serious about my work (any flaring tempers would have ruined the whole situation).

My goals were simple: get them to understand my situation on a personal level, comprehend my way of thinking and work with me to provide solutions to the situation. The result: success! By communicating rationally, I discovered what the real problem was and I was able to work out a solution which I was happy with. Teamwork has since improved a great deal.

I should note that a formal meeting was planned to help resolve the situation, but it never happened. So, I took the initiative to solve the problem myself. I can't say that this way of approaching a problem is the solution for every work-related issue, but it sure beats letting problems fester. Also, note that I have been practicing and evolving this way of approaching problems at work for over 20 years. My goal has always been to have a great team to work with no matter where I am working and I have always found ways to maintain a highly effective team, whether I was boss or not.

If anything can be learned from this blog entry it is this: finding a solution to a work-related problem means properly identifying the problem and communicating, on a personal level, with those who have created the problem; and don't always wait for a formal meeting.

If the situation cannot be resolved and you can't work like that, it may be time to make a change or the unresolved issue will probably fester, possibly leading to jadedness, animosity, lowered productivity, poor teamwork and low staff morale. If you're going to work anyway, why not try to improve a work situation rather than let it go downhill? It's important to like what you do or do something you like to do.