--- title: "Breaking Up Conflicts: No Right or Wrong" id: "16844" type: "post" slug: "breaking-up-conflicts-no-right-or-wrong" published_at: "2013-04-12T17:18:19+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T19:04:08+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/04/12/breaking-up-conflicts-no-right-or-wrong/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/04/12/breaking-up-conflicts-no-right-or-wrong.md" excerpt: "What happens when both sides think they’re right? Seth Godin on breaking up conflicts. Also: Why happy workers are more geared towards solving difficult issues." taxonomy_category: - "Membership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "civic engagement" - "community support" - "Leadership" - "Membership" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Director" - "Manager" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Breaking Up Conflicts: No Right or Wrong Conflict in the workplace can be a challenge to resolve, but having the right tactics in your back pocket will go a long way. > People can be inspired to meet stretch goals and tackle impossible challenges if they care about the outcome. That, and more, in today’s Lunchtime Links: **No right or wrong:**It’s can be hard to resolve a conflict where both sides (naturally) believe they’re right. But you can come to an agreement to disagree, or, if you play your cards right, even get the other side to agree with you. [According to Seth Godin (opens in a new tab)](http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2013/04/one-of-us-is-wrong.html) , it all comes down to respect. “The thing that’s worth addressing has nothing much to do with the matter at hand and everything to do with building credibility, attention, and respect. Only then do you have a chance to educate and eventually persuade.” **A problem-solving staff:**Rosabeth Moss Kanter, a Harvard Business School professor and author, recently found that happy people work harder to battle difficult social problems and strive to make a difference. “People can be inspired to meet stretch goals and tackle impossible challenges if they care about the outcome,” [she wrote on HBR (opens in a new tab)](http://blogs.hbr.org/kanter/2013/04/to-find-happiness-at-work-tap.html) . Associations tackle difficult issues on a daily basis. How do you ensure your staff is happy and engaged enough to solve your members’ toughest professional challenges? **Keeping it in the community:** How do you make your members a part of your social media communication process? When engaging with your members, don’t just tell them what’s going on in your association. Let them talk. Retweet their comments and add some context to them. Publicly welcome new members into your association community, and enable communication between members. “Creating stronger connections in social media is not that much different than how you accomplish it in real life,” [writes Christina G. Smith, (opens in a new tab)](http://www.yourmembership.com/blog/3-ways-to-better-showcase-members-in-social-media/) director of content and client marketing at YourMembership.com. “The more specifics you can provide, the more personal connections you can offer, the more valuable the exposure becomes for all.” How do you enable communication within your association? What interesting reads have you found today? Let us know in your comments below. (iStockphoto/Thinkstock) [Anita Ferrer](https://associationsnow.com/author/anita-ferrer/) Anita Ferrer is a contributor to Associations Now. 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