Write about one experience in your life where you experienced a power conflict.
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The logo for the Boy Scouts of Canada
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I used to be a member of the Boy Scouts of Canada when I was younger. Once, on a
geo-caching outing, myself and another of my group had a conflict over where we thought the compass co-ordinates were directing us to. The other boy, whose name was Bill, thought that the co-ordinates were pointing us to 30° NNW and I thought that we were supposed to go 30° NWN. After deliberating our course, I convinced the group that we should go my direction because I was usually pretty adept at deciphering directions. Even though I succeeded in gaining power over the group, it turned out that I was wrong about the co-ordinates, and we had to double-back and find the right path again.
Indicate the type of conflict.
In this case I believe it was a cross between Person v. Person and Person v. Group. On the one hand, I was conflicting with Bill, but on the other hand I also had to convince my group that they should side with me.
What steps did you take to resolve this conflict?
I simply argued with Bill about which direction we should take and rested on my excellent past geo-caching record to resolve the conflict we had.
Is there something else you could've done?
If I had been a little more mature and a little more experienced with geo-caching, I think that I might have realized that Bill's idea of the correct path was—in fact—correct. Unfortunately, I was too hard-headed and competitive to comprehend that sometimes instead of doing everything by yourself, you have to put your faith in other people to get things done.
What could have happened if you allowed the conflict to escalate?
I don't think anything drastic would've happened if I allowed the conflict to escalate. However, the possibilities are endless. Perhaps it would've ended in a shouting match or even a fight. I have no idea. Thankfully, it was resolved peacefully and even though we lost time, my group still won the geocaching hunt that day.