Calm as You Can

The Point

Hang in there with people who need to do better. Explain it to them. Be nice as you be firm. Things don’t need to get ugly every single time we disagree. The feeling that conflict must always end uglily is an addiction to ugliness; it’s not a negotiation philosophy. Don’t let addiction to ugly endings direct your conflict management strategy.

As a general rule, if you know how to be calm in a way that calms others, if you can put away the dagger and convince others to put away theirs, then do just that as long as you can.