Did you know that Bruce Lee was nearsighted?  He started off studying a martial art that specializes in close-in combat, Wing Chun, so he could keep fighting even if he lost a contact lens. Since one of his legs was shorter than the other, he often kicked with the longer leg to extend his reach.  Since he was not a tall man, he chose techniques that did not rely on domineering size and worked tirelessly at developing his physical power. By preparation, he turned weakness into strength.

Nobody is perfect.  No situation is perfect. When conflict happens, how do we handle the fact that we are probably not in an ideal place to resolve it?  Maybe some of these circumstances sound familiar:

• You are nervous at having to confront someone or angry at being confronted.
• You want or need more than you think you are likely to get.
• Someone else – a boss or a spouse, maybe – wants you to achieve something in the conflict. The extra pressure makes you feel like just a mouthpiece.
• The other party seems to hold all the cards.
• The other party’s personality grates on your nerves.
• There is unreasonable time pressure to reach a resolution.
• You feel drained even thinking about the conflict.

One of the things you can do, like Bruce Lee, is to prepare.  You can turn each of these entirely reasonable concerns into a source of strength.  For instance:

• If your natural inclination when you are nervous or angry is to rehearse the situation ahead of time in your head, then when the time comes for the difficult conversation, you will have thought through the permutations.  You will be in a better position to control your nerves and your anger.  Link that adrenaline edge to your thinking.
• If you think you cannot get something from a negotiation, remember the words of the martial arts teachers: when you punch, picture punching through your target so you do not slow down right before contact. Trick yourself, if you have to, to be sure you are not holding yourself back.
• If your boss is pushing you to do unreasonable things, or your spouse is not willing to listen to the other party’s reasoning, you have a second confrontation going on with the people on your own side.  Address them, and your side becomes stronger.
• Necessity is the mother of invention.   If you have no room to bargain, get creative.  If the car dealer refuses drop the price further, get it to throw in the mats for free.
• If someone’s personality grates on your nerves, your personality probably grates on his nerves, too.  If you can control yourself, you might be able to use his irritation to keep him off balance.
• Time pressure is a two-edged sword.  While it adds stress, it puts limits on the discussion and forces the participants to move forward toward resolution rather than getting hung up. You can use the pressure to help your counterparty over a hump.
• If you are tired of fighting, you are ready for resolution.  As you get more practice thinking about everyday negotiations as a kind of conflict, you get more fortitude to continue discussions.  As you exercise your abilities, you learn to outlast your counterparties, and that gives you an advantage.

What at first seems like a weakness may actually be a guide for how to use your strength.