Neither of us could identify compatible interests, which meant judging the other. Neither of us could find a path or agreement that would capitalize on shared path. There was no negotiation; that would mean resolving our differences. Neither of us seemed able to take into account different options.
I knew this meant I could not allow the disagreement to damage our relationship once I had made my decision. I needed to separate the people from the problem. If you have been in a lose-lose situation, you know this is difficult!
Throughout this disagreement, it was important to remind myself that I will have to communicate with the same people in the future. For this reason, it was worth considering whether ‘winning’ the particular issue was more important than maintaining good relationships.
Most people have an underlying need to feel good about themselves and will strongly resist any attempt at negotiation when being directly challenged or when it might damage their self-esteem. Were I to press the point further without a clear offer of support, I would be the fool. It was a tough decision because pride got in the way, but I chose correctly.