Page 16 - April 2021 Voices

FROM THE DESK

Be Assertive

Eldred Brown, DTM - Program Quality Director

It seems that every year, the one subject deemed that you won’t accomplish anything with me
most important for mid-year District Leader by doing that, for I can be the most stubborn

Training is conflict management. Where two or person on the face of the earth when I’m riled
three people are gathered together, there will up. It’s like David Banner once told Jack McGee:
be conflict. It’s inevitable. But conflict does not “Don’t make me angry. You wouldn’t like me
need to result in combat. There are positive ways when I’m angry.” I won’t turn into a big green

to deal with the stress of working with another hulking monster, but I’m generally pretty hard to
person to avoid combat. convince or persuade when I’m in a foul mood.
Looking back at a speech I wrote six years There are some things to realize
ago helped me remember some of the things I when you’re stressed out and

learned about stress management. For instance, ready to bite
I was reminded of three ways to NOT handle someone’s
stressful situations: head off.
1. Ignore them. First, you

2. Try to fix them yourself. are the one
3. Lose your temper. with the
The first two solutions may fix your problems problem. The
in the short term, but they don’t address the problem you are

underlying causes of the problems. If you experiencing is your
allow anger and resentment to build up by own. The best way to
doing nothing to address the root causes, you address this is to
risk developing a variety of health problems, take ownership

including depression. You can also let steam of your feelings,
build up until you explode in a much bigger, communicate them
more dramatic way than if you had vented the clearly, and ask for
steam early by addressing the problem promptly. the other person’s help.

Losing your temper may be even worse. You can take the following
Threats, shouting, name calling, and other acts steps to implement this
of physical or emotional violence make the other realization:
person defensive and resistant. I certainly know

16 ONE COMMUNITY