Ross avoided conflict, not by being a pushover, but by actively seeking people out, being approachable and by socializing with them. I saw this myself. I recall many occasions when Ross would sit down with me and chat in an airport or on a plane or (on one occasion) a helicopter flight from Nice airport to Monte Carlo. Ross just made the effort to be friendly and good company. The result of this was that people always wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.
