This is such a valuable lesson for all of us to learn not only professionally but in our personal lives as well. All to often we misinterpreted email or take a stray comment or missed connection as a personal affront when in reality it’s a simple misunderstanding.

“Making a choice to view conflict in the office as professional rather than personal accomplishes two key things. First, it ensures that you don’t accidentally overreact and see a personal component where there is none. Second, it effectively defuses any personality conflict that might really exist” – Cathie Black, President of Hearst Enterprise