How to Manage a Misunderstanding

We're always navigating differences-whether they're rooted in opinions, personalities, cultural expectations, or communication styles. Here, six entrepreneurs share how they've learned to deal with discord.

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1/ Try to understand people, not change them.

"In a previous role, one of my team members was motivated by competition, which created friction with others. Trying to change someone's way of seeing the world is an exercise in futility, so rather than judge their means of motivation, I refocused their competitiveness on personal performance. That way, they could tap into their desire to achieve without making others feel challenged or dominated."

-KATE LUBENESKY, president, W&P

2/ To avoid confusion, recap.

"As a global brand, we do business in different regions and deal with a language barriers as well as cultural subtleties. In the past, things have definitely been lost in translation. We've learned to see the humor in it, rather than getting unnecessarily frustrated-which never helps anyway. We use simple tactics like email follow-ups. Regardless of 'native tongue,' everything is always outlined and summarized with clear actions to follow."

-EMMA GIBSON, CEO, Aquamamma