Conflict is a normal part of life - particularly work life.  And, in many cases, you'll need to determine whether your view is important enough to risk everything on.

By "everything," we mean "job, reputation, pay grade, etc."
Depending on your occupation, you may have to ask yourself whether it's the hill you want to die on more often than others.  Here are a few ways to determine if it is - and what you can do before heading into battle:

Risk v. reward.  What kind of payoff will you get if you win?  Sometimes you can win the battle but lose the war.  If you "win," will there be backlash and resentment?  Could the "loser" make your life a living hell or - worse yet - cost you your job and/or professional reputation? 

Support.  Going into battle alone - in a word - sucks.  Particularly if your adversary could make your work life - in a word - suck.  Before battling, it may be wise to figure out how much support you have - and from where.  If all of your support comes from your level and/or lower, recruit higher-ranking people to your side.  When your opponent sees your support, s/he may concede.  It's kind of like the old Cold War slogan "peace through strength."

How important is it?  At the crux of today's post is this: how important is it that you win this battle?  It's a good idea to separate your ego from the equation.  Objectively determine before you go into battle whether your point is crucially important to your career or to the company's business.

IN THE CARAVAN: Weigh the pro and con of arguing your point, get support and determine whether it's really worth it.

NEXT WEDNESDAY: Improve Your Career By Increasing Your Health

Want more advice on Adding Value? Check out these posts and The Lion's Pride section of WildJobSafari.com!

Check out last Wednesday's post on putting the cart before the horse.

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