I got moaned at by someone at Head Office today. It turned out that I’d forgotten to do something that I didn’t know needed to be done, and someone decided the best way to react was to howl at me on the phone like a pre-menstrual werewolf. I’m quite proud of the way I reacted. I stayed calm, I let them say their piece, then I calmly explained that I wasn’t aware that particular monthly document was supposed to be with them by the 12th, and maybe they could give me little reminders about things like that, just while I’m finding my feet in my new position. Wouldn’t it have been better, I said, to give me a gentle nudge on the 10th to make sure it got done, rather than leaving it until the 14th and shouting at me?
I offered a ‘sort of’ apology and ensured them I’d get it done by the end of the day. Which I did, because it was really simple.
I believe in sharing skills with others, for the benefit of common good, so if you ever find yourself getting unfairly shouted at by one of your ‘superiors’ and you’d like to react as calmly as I did - this is the method I used:
While she was having a go at me, I held the phone away from my ear and silently mouthed as many insulting obscenities at her as I possibly could. I also used appropriate hand gestures to each of those insults, and mimed punching her repeatedly in the head. I should point out that this is probably only suitable if the person is on the phone, and should not be attempted if you’re in the same room.
RC 14-1-15
No comments:
Post a Comment