One important aspect to conflict resolution in my opinion is choosing not to take offense. I read the talk called "And Nothing Shall Offend Them" by Elder David A. Bednar where he addresses the fact that taking offense is a choice that one makes, and not an imposed will of another. At first you may not think this skill is applicable to resolving conflict, but it makes sense if you think about it. I think a lot of the time when there is a conflict that arises between two people, it is sometimes hard to keep personal feelings out of it. We can sometimes let other smaller issues build up to the point of bursting, and let suppressed smaller issues dictate our feeling and tone of other problems. I know for me, this has certainly been the case; I have let smaller problems build up and when it gets to the bursting point, I have freaked out at a seemingly small issue and the root of the problem is built up feelings offense. We as leaders need to choose not to be offended in our callings in the church, in our various careers, with our children, or with your parents or spouse. If we can choose not to be offended, we can avoid petty conflicts, and push away the emotional factors that can sometimes cloud our judgement and attempts at conflict resolution.
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