Coaching practices for Competing Values Resolution

Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For Competing Values Resolution, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.

Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?

• I’ve got a short list of values but they’re all just sitting there as equals, and the second two of them collide in real life
• I’m frozen on a decision where honoring one thing I care about means shortchanging another
• Something’s genuinely wrong here and there’s no time to coax everyone to a comfortable yes
• I’m torn between two things I care about
• I keep butting heads with someone over what each of us wants, and we’re stuck trading positions back and forth

Practices that may help

1. Rank your top values
   Force a strict order among your finalists so conflicts resolve in advance.
   Values Clarification, Made Practical
2. Resolving a decision with two competing values
   When two values both apply, use your ranked priority to resolve the tension rather than freeze.
   Values Card Sort
3. Competing (assertive, uncooperative)
   Pursue your own position firmly when speed, principle, or stakes outweigh the relationship cost.
   The Five Conflict-Resolution Styles
4. Use the bullseye to resolve competing values
   When two values pull in different directions, the bullseye shows you which domain is most neglected and most in need of attention.
   Values Bullseye, Made Practical
5. Using values questions to deepen a conversation
   Ask "what matters most to you about this?" to surface values rather than surface preferences.
   Values Card Sort
6. Trade across differing priorities
   Give on what you value less to get what you value more — and have them do the same.
   Win-Win Thinking: Expanding the Pie
7. Collaborating (assertive and cooperative)
   Work the underlying interests until you find a solution that genuinely meets both sides’ needs.
   The Five Conflict-Resolution Styles
8. Stick to Values: act consistently with what actually matters to you
   Before compromising a position, check whether the compromise conflicts with a core value — and hold if it does.
   FAST: DBT’s Skill for Maintaining Self-Respect in Relationships
9. Mapping shared and divergent values in a relationship
   Do the card sort alongside someone important to you and compare — do not assume your rankings match.
   Values Card Sort
10. Use Competing when speed or safety matters more than buy-in
    Competing — high assertive, low cooperative — is appropriate when the decision is urgent, high-stakes, and not open for debate.
    The Thomas–Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI)

Describe your situation in your own words to search the complete practice library.