“What do you do when you have an irresolvable
conflict with your supervisor?”
■“I’ve never had that happen, but if I did, I would try to talk
to the supervisor in a nonaccusatory manner. I try to deal
with problems before they get too big and out of control.
This way of handling situations has helped me get along
with people whom I work with whether they are my
bosses or coworkers.”
■“The first thing I do is to try to look at the problem or con-
flict from all sides. I know that there are always two sides to
every disagreement. Then I decide whether this ‘battle’ is
worth losing ‘the war’ over. In other words, I have to work
with this supervisor who has power over my work, and so I
have to decide whether it is a matter worth pursuing to
the next level of management or human resources or
whether it is a matter that should just be forgotten. I then
take appropriate action.”
■“I have always been taught that the boss is the person in
charge and have always shown respect for the position.
If,however, the conflict involved something that was a
morale or legal issue, then I would have to go to the next
level of authority with the problem. I have been fortunate
to have supervisors whom I have gotten along well with
in my career. I have never had to take anything to that
extreme.”