How To Think About High-Stakes Dispute Resolution

InnovationHow To Think About High-Stakes Dispute ResolutionByMichael Gargiulo,Forbes Councils Member.for Forbes Technology CouncilCOUNCIL POSTExpertise from Forbes Councils members, operated under license. Opinions expressed are those of the author. | Membership (fee-based)May 22, 2026, 08:30am EDTMichael Gargiulo, CEO of VPN.com. We help Fortune 1000, entrepreneurs and companies protect their brand. getty​Many business leaders and founders struggle to think with clarity amid a serious dispute. If the stakes are high, the pressure meter can rise, which can affect the way people think, communicate and interact. One sentence that looked harmless in an agreement a month ago could suddenly take center stage today. I’ve seen the same mistake show up again and again: Smart people treat dispute resolution as a legal problem only. It isn’t. It’s a legal problem, a business problem and often a reputational problem all at once.If you approach a high-stakes dispute with too much emotion, too many words or too little structure, you can make a bad situation much worse.The better approach is usually simpler: less drama, more clarity, fewer assumptions, better definitions and stronger advice from people who understand both the legal side and the business side.High Stakes Change The RulesA minor disagreement can sometimes be handled informally. A high-stakes dispute is different. Now you may be dealing with money that materially affects the company. You may be facing exposure that damages a brand, affects ownership, interrupts operations or creates lasting legal risk. In some cases, one bad decision can follow a business for years.That’s where discipline matters most. The goal isn’t to sound aggressive. The goal is to become precise, focus on the facts at hand and identify viable resolutions. Fewer Words Usually WinMany people think a strong position needs long explanations. In my experience, the opposite is often true. The more serious the dispute, the more valuable clarity become...