When working with others, disagreements are bound to pop up from time to time. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Healthy conflict can help spur innovation and collaboration. However, where you want to be careful is when conflict turns unhealthy. That can undermine trust, waste time, and sap employees’ energy. How can you tell the difference? Be on the watch out for employees, managers, or even leaders who are “conflict entrepreneurs,” meaning they instigate conflict for their own ends. This can be for money, power, or attention. This can take the form of spreading rumors, talking behind other team members’ backs to disparage them, or involving unnecessary parties in disagreements. Distance yourself from these conflicts if possible. They are rarely beneficial and generally bring down everyone involved. If you can’t avoid the conflict caused by the entrepreneur, don’t call them out on it. Speak to the part of them that isn’t always engaged in conflict. Listen to them and try to understand. “If they’re 90 percent conflict entrepreneur, speak to the 10 percent,” says mediator and lawyer Gary Friedman. “This person may have lots of opinions I don’t agree with, but first and foremost, people want to be heard, and somewhere in there, there’s an opportunity.”