May 4, 2010

Making Work "Work": Resources for Busy Professionals

What happens when someone “pushes your buttons?” Do you instinctively push back? If so, you may do more harm than good. In the workplace, it’s sometimes best to back away from conflict, at least until you can resolve it calmly and rationally.

Here are three guidelines for keeping your cool in stressful situations:

• Recognize your automatic responses. When that meddlesome co-worker gets into your business, what goes through your head? Focus on paying attention to your thoughts and emotions. Resolve not to lose control over your words and actions.
• Think about the end result. Explore the consequences of your reaction to conflict in the past. Did you regret what you said or did? Was the stress of acting out your anger—or holding it in—really worth it? Should you act this way again?
• Stop before you react. The next time your automatic responses start playing in your head, imagine yourself hitting the stop button on a recorder. This can allow you to think more clearly about what’s really happening. Then you can move calmly ahead with a solution that works for both of you.