Problem Solving
'I beg your pardon,' said Alice very humbly: 'you had got to the fifth bend, I think?' 'I had not!' cried the Mouse, sharply and very angrily. 'A knot!' said Alice, always ready to make herself useful, and looking anxiously about her. 'Oh, do let me help to undo it!' 'I shall do nothing of the sort,' said the Mouse, getting up and walking away. 'You insult me by talking such nonsense!' 'I didn't mean it!' pleaded poor Alice. 'But you're so easily offended, you know!'
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Whenever people work together, there are bound to be times when the relationships are challenged. Disagreements occur in even the best working relationships. In healthy situations, the issues are discussed objectively. Each individual is empowered to state his or her position and feel confident that the other is genuinely listening and wanting to understand. Possible solutions are explored with open minds, and the potential effects of the solutions are considered and weighed. It's an easy process to understand, but more often than not it's incredibly difficult to do. People want what they want, believe what they believe, and value what they value. In this section, our goal is to identify some problems that mentors and mentees have encountered and to suggest potential strategies for resolving each problem.
