Explain how one can handle conflict?

I have read the section called “How do you handle conflict?” and concluded that I behave like the owl. The section explains that the owl does not avoid or shy away from conflict. The Owl values both personal relationship and its personal goals. Since conflicts prevent the owl from achieving its goals, it mediates in the conflicts so that they do not prevent its goals. Also, the owl understand the importance of achieving its goals and for that reason, the animal does not involve itself directly in conflict. It enters the conflict as the mediator.
The case of using the owl’s approach in conflict is something I observed when I was operating a shoes business for my uncle. One day, conflict emerged between two customers who admired the same pair of shoes. Both of them wanted to buy the same pair of shoes and I did not have another copy of the pair of shoes. I recognized the importance of the two customers to my business. The business relied on them as customers. I did not want to take sides in the conflict because it would mean that I would lose one or both of them. I entered into the conflict as a mediator who tried to look for a good solution to the problem. I solved the conflict by calling a friend who operated a shoe business on the opposite street. Luckily, he had a copy of the exact pair of shoes. I brought the pair of shoes so that both of them would get the pair of shoes that they desired. The case shows how I demonstrated my awareness about the dangers of conflict to my uncle’s shoes business. However, I did not avoid the conflict all together. I played the role of the mediator who created peace between the people in conflict. It represents how the owl handles conflict.
The approach, however, did not help me when a high-school classmate stole my lunch. I discovered that he stole my lunch through a friend who saw him committing the act. I could not use the owl’s approach because the conflict involved me directly. I approached the student together with the witness. I talked to him and warned him that if he did not return my lunch, I would report the matter to the school administration. He accepted his mistake and returned the lunch. I understood that he might have stolen the food because he did not have his own lunch. I gave him a portion of the food. I used a win-win strategy to resolve the conflict and he became a great friend who never stole from me again.
b) Response
The discussion from the classmate shows that the turtle’s approach may sometimes be effective in handling conflict. The student decided to ignore the argument with the boss. In stead, the student brought decided to go and put out the products. At the end of the day, they made a lot of sales. The student could have wasted a lot of time defending his mistake and explaining why the products did not reach the sales floor. It was useless doing so because he saw the failure that he made. He took the corrective measure, which resolved the conflict with a serious fall-out between him and his boss.
The discussion, however, shows that conflict avoidance (turtle’s approach) is not always effective. The student’s discussion teaches me that conflict avoidance only suits certain circumstances, for example, if the conflict involves someone with his or her senior, and he is on the wrong side. In the scenario where he made a logo for the customer, the student felt that the customer took advantage of him after the made the business card. The lesson I have learnt is that it is always good to think about the most suitable approach to a conflict before deciding how to resolve it.