Butting heads: It’s happened to all of us, at one time or another. And the company or department is too small to avoid crossing paths. But who wants to spend the foreseeable future growling at each other?

Well, there is a solution. It’s not waiting for the problem to go away or work itself out. That ain’t gonna happen.

There is a way to confront the problem — and the person — in a calm, let’s-settle-this-now manner. You both have something in common: Seeing this matter resolved. That’s a good starting point. Use that starting point to open the door to sensible conversation. Then, there’s a seven-step plan for handling (and hopefully working out) the problem.

1. Fly solo. It’s just you and the other person; no one else needs to be at the table.
2. Define your goal. Going into this, know what your problem is, and your goal for this interaction.
3. Prepare yourself. Make a list of what you’ll say to support your view of the problem. You don’t want to be fumbling for this in the middle of the meeting.
4. What’s the worst that can happen? Spend a few minutes jotting down how you expect the other person to react and what he or she might say. Writing out these concerns reduces the impact they can have on you.
5. Making preparations. Review your notes; write down examples of the behavior you’re going to talk about.
6. Plan for privacy. Choose a spot where neither of you will be interrupted.
7. Begin the meeting. Keys: Look the person in the eye; explain your view of the problem; give the other person a chance to speak and pay attention; have a back-and-forth discussion until you’ve both settled on a solution.

 Nobody said it would be easy. But you get better with practice. You also improve your own job performance by doing this, because you’ve “cleared the decks” and made it easier to focus on your procurement duties.

Tags: goal, personnel, procurement