A young partner with young children in school will have different needs than those of an older partner whose nest is empty. To the younger partner, the summer offers special time with his family. To the older one, the summer offers greater opportunity to build the practice as well as his pension and profit-sharing plan. The older partner resents the younger partner's insistence on summer vacation. Resolving the vacation time issue means dealing with each participant's needs and desires in the context of successful practice management.
Conflict avoidance is a common practice when people ignore, rather than confront the uncomfortable.
Conflict can lead to anger if both parties are unwilling to face each other and discuss it. Conflict must be expressed in order to be resolved. The way we put the conflict on the table makes all the difference. Everyone tends to look at a problem in a specific way. People bring certain fears and vulnerabilities to the table as well as certain psychological needs.