Page Title

Keeping Cool When Things Get Hot

August 2, 1999

"A good deal of team conflict is caused by tempers that aren't kept in check.  Working in close quarters as teammates, it is to be expected that stress, differences in opinion and background, and personality clashes can lead to short tempers.  However, you can take steps to reduce the occurrence of these conflicts, as well as defuse them when they do arise. 

Take this quiz, answering YES or NO to see how you are doing:

1.  Do you set realistic goals and schedules?
2.  Do you expect and accept differences of opinion without taking them
     personally?
3.  Are you able to walk away form a volatile situation when you feel your temper
     rise?
4.  Do you avoid taking out your stress on your teammates?
5.  Do you keep team problems in perspective, so they don't get blown out of
     proportion?
6.  Can you usually keep a level head when others around you are losing theirs?
7.  Do you know which kinds of situations and people are likely to set you off?
8.  Do you avoid these triggers when possible?
9.  When stress follows you home, do you use constructive means, such as
     exercise, to relieve it?
10.  When you do get involved in conflict, do you stick to logical arguments and
       avoid emotional ones?

Total number of YES answers _____

How's your temper?  A score of eight or more YES answers indicates that you are cool as a cucumber most of the time.  If you scored lower, look at your NO responses and strive to turn these areas around.  Controlling your temper will help you decrease the number of counterproductive conflicts on your team.  But don't expect to eliminate them entirely.  Remember, some conflicts are necessary to help your team work out its problems and become more productive (Teamwork, 1997, p.3)

Reference:  Staff. (1997, June 7).  Keeping cool when things get hot.  Teamwork: Your Personal Guide to Working Successfully with People.

Teamwork is available on loan from the OSU Leadership Center.  A complete listing of all the Leadership Center's resources is available on our website www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~leaders

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Created: 2009-01-06, Updated: 2009-01-16