I am sure most of us have experienced a challenging situation at work where it can be difficult to remain professional particularly where the situation is emotionally upsetting. The truth is there is no one best way to manage these situations; however, we can equip ourselves to become more resilient and open to learning from this. 

As an example, in a customer facing role you may have to cope with criticism from customers/clients/colleagues. This can be a natural part of an interactive role and in reality it can be almost impossible to keep everyone happy all of the time. There are two key tips we would give here:

1. Take the criticism constructively where possible. Take a breath before responding as our initial reaction can be defensive. What can you learn from this? What can you improve on? 
2. Be open to admitting mistakes. We are all human and these happen. If you missed an email, own it. If you took longer to respond than normal, own it and discover why.

As another example, conflict with a colleague or peer can be challenging. This can also be a positive situation as differences of opinion encourage debate and a variety of perspectives. This can add real value to the business. Where the conflict is negative and it impacts the individual in a detrimental way our top tips would be:

1. Don’t keep it quiet. Our mental health and well-being is so important and if we keep things hidden then they can escalate into bigger problems.
2. Where appropriate, speak with the person directly maybe in an informal setting over a coffee first to try to resolve the issue. 
3. Use a mediator if necessary to provide some neutral ground in the discussions. 
4. Where the issue cannot be resolved 1:1 or through a neutral person, speak with the people management team within the organisation as they can support with conflict. 

Conflict is never easy and everyone will cope with it in their own way. It’s important for us to be self-aware and reflect on ourselves in these situations in order to learn and develop. We should never accept a situation which is damaging to us in any way, be it professionally, mentally or emotionally. 

A final point is to be mindful that the individual you are in conflict with may have something driving their behaviour, for example, a challenging situation at home, a lack of confidence or a threat to their status. In line with our Ki values, we would encourage professionalism, respect and empathy where appropriate.