Confrontation Principle

Caring for people should precede confronting people. Conflict is like cancer: Early detection increases the possibility of a healthy outcome. While intellectually it’s simple to resolve conflict, emotionally it can be difficult. It requires honesty, humility and dedication to the relationship. Take these steps when confronting someone:

● Confront a person only if you care about that person. It is more productive to go into a confrontation keeping the other person’s interests in mind.
● Meet together as soon as possible. Putting off confrontation only causes the situation to fester.
● First seek understanding, not necessarily agreement. The person who gives an opinion before he or she understands is human, but the person who gives a judgment before he or she understands is a fool.
● Outline the issue. Be positive, describe your perceptions, state how this situation makes you feel, and explain why this is important to you.
● Encourage a response.
● Agree to an action plan that clearly identifies the issue and spells out concrete steps that will be taken. The action plan should include a commitment by both parties to put the issue to rest once resolved.

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Soundview Executive Book Summaries John C. Maxwell "Winning with People"