Communication - seeing eye to eye

• What are the common themes underlying your disputes?
• What perspective can you gain on them relative to the bigger picture?
• Where can you give ground to improve the relationship?
• What concessions can you ask of your colleague in return?
• Are there any personal or work style differences between you?
• Understanding these can reveal complementary talents.
• What sorts of things do you not argue about?
• How can these serve as a basis for building a better relationship?
• What other things do you have in common?
• Easier to build on positives than focus on points of disagreement.
• If your styles differ, how might they complement each other?
• What other synergies might serve as a basis for partnership?
• Differences can be forgotten with a common goal and large rewards.
• What is this person trying to achieve in career or business terms?
• How might you be hindering these goals?
• What could you do differently to facilitate their achievement?
• The key is to look for solutions with lateral thinking rather than get weighed down by obstacles that are blocking a better relationship.