Expand the Frame
The First and Most Important Step to Resolving Relational Conflicts
By Byron Gossett
Guidelines for Resolving Relational Conflicts
Chapter 1: Everything makes sense if you have enough information.
Chapter 2: People don’t get unstuck until they feel understood.
Chapter 3: Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.
Chapter 4: Be proactive, not reactive.
Chapter 5: Distance creates perspective; Distance creates distortion.
Chapter 6: If you can name it, you can tame it.
Chapter 7: Most conflict comes from unmet expectations.
Chapter 8: Integrity is the courage to deal responsibly with reality.
Chapter 9: All change involves loss; all loss involves change.
Chapter 10: It’s difficult to see the picture when you are inside the frame.
Byron Gossett
Drawing on more than four decades of experience in the agri-business and banking industries, as well as serving on sixteen Boards of Directors, Gossett provides insights, ideas and strategic introductions to address client needs. During his seventeen years of private consulting a wide array of clients ranging from individuals to local and international organizations, Gossett guided each to effectively identify and sustainably address challenges and opportunities.
With integrity as his guiding principle, Gossett employs confidentiality, objectivity and creative problem-solving as the hallmarks of his work with clients.
Gossett resides in Fort Worth, Texas and enjoys spending as much of his spare time as possible with his eight grandchildren, his three children and their spouses, and his wife and best friend, Tricia.
Expand the Frame
Relationships are vital. We can’t live without them. If we are honest, though, we would all have to admit that there are times when we can’t live with them, either. Conflict in those relationships is the reason why they frustrate us, irritate us, discourage us. If the conflict goes unresolved, the emotional cost of staying in those relationships adds up.
If you are experiencing conflict in your relationships, let me ask you a question. How long can you go on with all that unresolved conflict living inside you, eating away at you?
Before you head for the door, I have some good news…
Your problem is not the person. Your problem is the conflict that exists with the person.
I have even more good news…
The conflict can be resolved.
The first and most important step is to Expand the Frame.
What readers are saying…
“In my career as an entrepreneur, business operator, and teacher in the Harvard and Stanford MBA programs, I have been struck by the impact of relationships in organizations. I am now helping Stanford MBA candidates develop their skills in the principles and practice of communication, including conflict resolution.
As I read Expand the Frame, written by my friend Byron Gossett, I was impressed with the practical utility woven into the stories Byron tells from his dual careers as a rancher and consultant. He points out that conflict in business and in life is to be expected, but unresolved conflict must be addressed proactively. He then goes on to describe how that often difficult task can be accomplished.
Byron has created a clearly written, compelling reference document useful in both professional and personal settings.”
— H. Irving Grousbeck
Class of 1980 Adjunct Professor of Management
Stanford University Graduate School of Business
Co-owner, Boston Celtics
“In my 40 years as an estate planning attorney, I have seen repeatedly how valuable it is to have Byron Gossett on the planning team. At some point, every family and business owner needs an advisor like Byron to help heal and strengthen relationships. Byron brings many talents to the table, but his greatest skill is his ability to connect with people and help them address the hard issues that most sweep under the rug. You’ll enjoy Byron’s captivating stories in Expand The Frame and get a glimpse of his remarkable intellect, intuition, and heart. I wholeheartedly endorse Byron Gossett.”
— Marvin Blum
Mr. Blum is a nationally recognized estate attorney and the founder of The Blum Firm, based in Fort Worth,Texas with offices throughout Texas. Nationally, he serves on the Board of a range of organizations, including TIGER 21 and Texas Cultural Trust.
“Byron has found an angle that gives the reader a clear cut step by step process to break down the barriers of relationships in conflict. Families that work together often find themselves in struggles that are very difficult to resolve. Byron has produced an easy, workable method and assimilated a read that is quick and simple to put into use. I have added several portions of the content of Expand the Frame to my work with clients in family business since reading the book. Already, these easily grasped concepts related to resolving conflict are resonating with my clients.”
— Dr. David Swift
Dr. David Swift has built on his initial 14 year career on Wall Street to establish a highly respected consultancy to a wide range of businesses, notably family businesses. Along with an abundance of published articles for a variety of national publications, Dr. Swift is the author of the Smalley-Swift Personality Profiling System.
As an investor in and beyond agriculture and as a shareholder of a 6th generation family business, I have become convinced over the years that relationships are central to determining successful outcomes. Beyond business, the same principle is true…healthy relationships continually lead to fulfilled goals, in families, communities and in society at large. As a fellow rancher and businessman, my friend Byron Gossett has demonstrated again and again that relationships matter. In his book Expand the Frame, Byron provides practical insights into how unresolved conflicts so often damage relationships. He goes on to explain a number of practical and reliable steps toward helping the reader to successfully resolve conflicts. Written in a plainspoken, yet transparent style, this book can serve as a field manual for healthy relationships; from the camp house on the ranch to the family dinner table, to the boardroom in the center of the city. I recommend Expand the Frame to readers from all walks of life who seek to prevent or to resolve conflict.
— Scott Kleberg
Businessman and rancher
Managing Member CA Partners, LLC and Windgate Partners, LLC