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Compromise is a negotiation where parties give up something to reach a mutually agreed decision. It’s essential in relationships and business, but being inflexible can lead to problems. “Pick your battles” and decide which areas of life require flexibility.
A compromise is a negotiation between two or more parties, individuals or groups, that helps reach a mutually agreed decision. Essential to the idea of a mutual agreement is that each person or group participating in the agreement must make a decision to give up some of the things he, she, or they would like in order to hopefully get the things they most desire. Compromise exists in all aspects of life: in business, in relationships, and so on. Even personally, an individual may have to find a middle ground with her wishes in order to reach the most workable arrangements for pursuing a life.
In relationships, such as couples, it is usually agreed that the ability to compromise can improve each partner’s relationship experience. Because people are individuals, it’s rare for two people to agree on everything. Most reasonable people are able to negotiate with their partners to give up things that aren’t important and to get things that are.
A couple might negotiate the share of housework each partner will do, how the children are raised, or just the specific tasks each person has to perform during the day. A couple who decide that one person will pick up the kids while the other stays home to do the laundry has compromised. Neither of them may particularly want either of these tasks, but they get the things needed for life to run smoothly.
Conversely, couples who can’t make such arrangements tend to have significant problems. When each party to a marriage feels they are entitled to more than the other party, a middle ground can be very difficult to achieve. If one partner is adamant about making no concessions, the other partner must either decide to concede everything and let the partner be dominant, or try to argue. Couples can spend time in therapy learning to make concessions and appreciate their partners.
In business, there are many situations where compromises need to be reached. Sometimes, a person has no choice. A boss can tell an employee that he needs to work, and there’s nothing that person can negotiate or ask the boss in return. On the other hand, one place where agreements are often reached is through union negotiations. Unions and business leaders often have to reach mutual agreements that are acceptable to all parties.
Workers may want higher wages, but may need to be more flexible around shifts to achieve them. When two groups negotiate, they both agree to take less but still take something, often on very specific terms and through processes such as mediation. Failure to reach an agreement can lead workers to go on strike and refuse to return to work until problems at work are resolved.
Being uncompromising isn’t always a bad thing. A person with an uncompromising sense of ethics is not easily influenced to become less ethical. However, being continually inflexible in all aspects of life opens one up to a constant battle on many fronts. As a human being, it is important to decide which areas of your life are most important and which areas of your life, work or relationships can be built more flexibly. The phrase “pick your battles” applies, as people have to decide when they can make concessions to avoid constant confrontations with parents, spouses, children, bosses, or others.
