Someday
There are days when you feel that no matter what you say or do, it will end in failure. Today is one of those days. I had to have a discussion with someone I work with and no matter what I said, it was not going to be pretty. It does not help that the reason for the conversation was based on a decision by someone who I have never met located 100 miles away. It does not help that I had zero, nada, zip, absolutely no input into the decision. It does not help that I have been attempting to help this person out of a dangerous pattern of failure. It all comes down to bad news is bad news, no matter what you do.
No one likes to be told bad news. It hurts to think that we are doing something wrong. What amazes me, is that people do not see it coming. That they are surprised by bad news and truly shocked when you tell them that things are not going well. How someone who has made mistakes and knows it can expect not be told is beyond me. How someone could think that their performance is not noticed by others who work to maintain a high level is beyond me. How someone could think that they are being singled out because they do not see how other people are disciplined is beyond me.
If you treat them with dignity and provide an avenue for improvement, you have started off on the right foot. You must remain confidential and professional about the situation. Treat them as you would want to be treated. You know, that little “Do unto others” from the mouth of Jesus Christ.
It helps when the person you are talking to accepts responsibility for their actions. If they see themselves as a victim of circumstance and wallow in the pain of being accused, it makes any discussion a painful process. No one likes to be given bad news, but if you accept the fact that you have made a mistake and learn from it, you will get beyond the emotion of the situation and grow as a person.
The alternative is to live in your own little world and feel sorry for yourself. “Everyone is picking on me and I don’t deserve it. Someday they will see that I am doing the best I can and that I will always make mistakes.”
Everyone makes mistakes. It is those who learn from them and find ways to prevent them from occurring that grow and prosper.
Icool
Cobb
No one likes to be told bad news. It hurts to think that we are doing something wrong. What amazes me, is that people do not see it coming. That they are surprised by bad news and truly shocked when you tell them that things are not going well. How someone who has made mistakes and knows it can expect not be told is beyond me. How someone could think that their performance is not noticed by others who work to maintain a high level is beyond me. How someone could think that they are being singled out because they do not see how other people are disciplined is beyond me.
If you treat them with dignity and provide an avenue for improvement, you have started off on the right foot. You must remain confidential and professional about the situation. Treat them as you would want to be treated. You know, that little “Do unto others” from the mouth of Jesus Christ.
It helps when the person you are talking to accepts responsibility for their actions. If they see themselves as a victim of circumstance and wallow in the pain of being accused, it makes any discussion a painful process. No one likes to be given bad news, but if you accept the fact that you have made a mistake and learn from it, you will get beyond the emotion of the situation and grow as a person.
The alternative is to live in your own little world and feel sorry for yourself. “Everyone is picking on me and I don’t deserve it. Someday they will see that I am doing the best I can and that I will always make mistakes.”
Everyone makes mistakes. It is those who learn from them and find ways to prevent them from occurring that grow and prosper.
Icool
Cobb
posted by Cobb at
7:57 AM
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