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How to Use That Conflict in Business to Your Favor

Updated: Dec 28, 2020


I’ve had every kind of conflict you can have in business.

  • business partners that didn’t like when I started putting God first in my business

  • industry colleagues replying to my emails with angry comments because I mention God in my marketing

  • employees mad because I didn’t want to do business in the nightlife anymore

  • clients screaming at me over a delayed project

  • prospects yell at me to stop calling and emailing them

  • competitors write insults because of my style of business

  • family lash out at me because of my convictions and beliefs in business

And how did I handle the conflict?


Well, before knowing God, I was fighting right back – tooth for tooth, eye for an eye. If you yelled at me, I yelled again louder. If you wrote me a nasty email, I was writing one back nastier and longer. If you insulted me, I’m going to double down and ridicule you even more.


That was easy. It felt natural. It felt good. It felt right to get my vengeance. It felt justified to right my wrongs.


But I’ll be the first to admit that my conflicts with people never got resolved. Things would get worst. The relationships would keep deteriorating. And although things would eventually calm down, when the conflict surfaced again, it was World War 2…3….4…and 5. I never stopped.


The Irony of Conflict


See, we all going to have conflict in entrepreneurship. Those of us starting businesses have a lot on the line. Our entire identity, self-worth, and the source of our income are on the line. We want to defend that at all costs.


We’re also extra passionate about our products and services because we feel they are the best thing since sliced bread. That passion can cause us to be extra emotional, which could lead us to more conflict.


But this isn’t a lesson on removing conflict. Contrary to what we might think, conflict is the essence of entrepreneurship. Conflict is also the essence of our Christian walk.


In the most famous preaching ever given on the planet, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount lays out the eight beatitudes, which are qualities of the people that enjoy special favor from God. I believe these qualities are the keys to unlocking the next levels of achievements in our businesses.


The seventh beatitude is why we live in a more peaceful world today than ever before.


"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." (Matthew 5:9 NIV)


If Jesus is saying that blessed are the peacemakers, and if he needed to mention it as one of the 8 keys to the holy life, then it’s clear to see that conflict is a part of life, and making peace is a necessary step in our Christian walk and thus a key to achieving greatness in business.