Other people are just jerks… right?

I don’t know about you, but there are times in the workplace where other people are just jerks.

Or, is that one of the lies we tell ourselves?

Caught in the conflict trap

There are so many ways to get caught in a trap with conflict at work, especially when you add multiple personalities with different reaction styles.

In fact, if you zoom out a bit, there are opportunities for conflict everywhere in our lives: Marriage, children, friends, extended family, church, etc.

If we focus for a few minutes on the workplace, what types of situations breed conflict?

• Change
• Low productivity, low sales
• Lack of ownership
• Personal issues
• Cliques or favored employees
• Poor management
• Poor communication
• Lack of development

What is at the root of these situations: Fear? Pride? Insecurity? Failure? Bitterness?

There are winners and losers

Someone has to win and it may as well be me. Right?

In this week’s Maximizers, Matt Meyer suggested that the win/lose paradigm comes from a “scarcity” culture or mentality. Walls go up and creativity and productivity breaks down. Communication gaps grow wider.

With this is mind, is the fear of loss stronger than the desire to win? And when we win in these situations, what exactly do we gain?

Think about that for a minute.

Avoiding the traps of conflict

In Ephesians 4, Paul writes about maturing in the ways of Christ so that we can live fully as Christ followers, as explained throughout this text.

There are lots of other passages in the Bible that give instruction for avoiding the traps of conflict; such as avoiding selfish ambition and keeping a grateful heart when others insult you.

What do you think of when you read the words “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs…?”

Or, how about “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.?”

From a man-in-the-mirror perspective, these words may be convicting to many of us reading this post. If this you, consider the following challenge over the next week:

What conflict traps have you recently found yourself in? Are there ways in which you could have reacted differently if you were to take a non-selfish approach?