When we hear the word steadfast, we hear something positive. Especially when applied to ourselves. Strong, committed, loyal perhaps. Stubborn?  Not so positive. Particularly when applied to another person. Pigheaded. Unreasonable. Impossible to deal with. How should we navigate steadfast and stubborn, from a conflict perspective? We can strive to be steadfast regarding our principles, our values.  We can be committed to integrity, to fairness. And we can avoid being stubborn about our opinions and our decisions. We can be open to changing our minds, when it’s warranted. When it is reasonable to do so.

The flip side?  Other people will strive to be steadfast to their values.  When it seems that your values clash? Look for where they overlap.  Maybe not a perfect one-to-one, but common ground. Are different words used to describe the same concept? Is your top value different from theirs – but it is important to them? And vice versa?

We can try to be steadfast but not stubborn, embracing good conflict and minimizing bad.

Do you have comments or suggestions about a topic or guest? An idea or question about conflict management or conflict resolution? Let me know at jb@dovetailresolutions.com! And you can learn more about me and my work as a mediator and a Certified CINERGY® Conflict Coach at www.dovetailresolutions.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/janebeddall/.

Enjoy the show for free on your favorite podcast app or on the podcast website: https://craftingsolutionstoconflict.com/  And you can follow us on Twitter @conflictsolving.