How to communicate with your adversaries

Most of us have someone in the office that we consider difficult to deal with or seem to be in constant competition with: perhaps for resources, recognition, or other issues. Often, we still need to work as a team with these people in order to accomplish our organization’s goals. So, how do you communicate with someone who may seem to be constantly working in opposition to you?

Step one: Recognize your mindset may be the problem.

You clicked on this because there may be someone you perceive as an adversary that you would like to learn to deal with on a more positive level. The first step is to stop thinking of the other person as an adversary. Let that sink in: even if this person is outside your organization and you are in a very tense relationship, you need to view them as being a Partner. This will enable you to find common ground and to separate…