Strength is good; Wisdom is better

Everyone in business gets involved in disagreements from time to time. Most are small, but

some are serious enough that they lead to litigation, and in very rare cases even violence. High

levels of conflict are destructive for businesses. Relationships suffer, management is distracted

from running the business, and resources are diverted to non-productive uses. Here are four

things to consider before you lace up your gloves and take that first punch.

Be realistic. Do you have any support for your position? Do you have a contract or anything

else in writing? Does it address the issue? Do you have any form of leverage? Remember that

whether you attempt to resolve the issue through negotiation, mediation, or litigation, what you

are entitled to is not always the same as what you want. Pick battles that you can win.

Define your objective. What is it that you really need? What allows you to resolve the issue

and move forward? Define “winning” as getting what you need and getting back to work.

Forget about “Payback.” Often people use a dispute as a chance to exact retribution for past

wrongs. Being confrontational feels great in the moment, but that moment is short-lived. I have

seen many cases where someone decides to “get tough” because the other guy “had it coming.”

After all the confrontation and drama are over, they usually don’t feel any better and have spent

scarce resources that would have been better used for business operations.

Plan for “After.” So now that some form of settlement has been reached, what happens? Do

you still need to work with this person? Are they still a customer? In the midst of a dispute, it

feels like the most important thing in the world. But each dispute is only one chapter in a very

long book. Make sure your “victory” is one you can live with.

Nobody likes to be taken advantage of. When you combine that with the very real frustration

and anger that can arise during a dispute, it is tempting to focus on the fight, rather than the

solution. But remember what you are after.

When it comes to business disputes strength is good, but wisdom is better.