Recognizing patterns of behavior

No matter where you work or what you do, becoming an expert in recognizing patterns of behavior can help you reduce the stress in your life by eliminating many of your unnecessary interpersonal conflicts. When you learn to recognize patterns of behavior, you'll be able to detect problems before they have a chance to get out of hand, nip certain arguments in the bud, and prevent hassles that might otherwise manifest themselves.

    

If you take a careful look at the people you work with, you'll probably agree that most people (you and I too) have a tendency to repeat patterns and engage in habitual reactions. In other words, we tend to be bothered by some things, irritated by the same set of circumstances, argue over the same sets of facts, and act defensively toward certain types of behavior. Indeed, for most of us, our reactions to life, particularly stress, are fairly predictable.

    

This being the case, it's enormously helpful to take careful note of the people you work with – and recognize any negative or destructive patterns of behavior that are likely to repeat themselves. You might notice, for example, that if you take on or challenge a member of your team, he will become defensive and tend to argue. This doesn't mean it's never appropriate to challenge him – there will certainly be times when it is. What it means is that when you recognize, with relative certainty, what's going to happen if you engage in certain types of interactions, you might determine that it's not worth getting into. In this way, you can avoid unnecessary conflict and spend your time and energy in more efficient ways.