Motivational

Rule 72: Don’t take sides

November 23, 2016

Nigeria’s Abuja based Female Politician and Philantropist, Hajiya Zuwaira Gambo

If
you take side, then you are part of the argument, the fight, the dispute, the
disagreement. You have to remain totally
objective and firmly in the middle. Stay
on the fence whatever you do, because if you don’t, then one side will blame
you as well as the person they were arguing with originally. Whatever the case up for discussion you need
to:

·
Take
a long-term view

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·
See
it from the company’s point of view

·
Remain
impartial

·
Remain
calm

·
Be
the diplomat

·
Not
take sides

·
Stay
independent

The
more detached you appear to be, the more senior you will come across. If you jump in with your boots on and take
sides, you run the risk of making an enemy as well as being seen as hot headed.

The
difficulty is when a friend is embroiled in a row with another less close
colleague. Your friend will invariably
turn to you and try to drag you in, ‘Oh,
for God’s sake, tell her I’m right will you Rich?’

“STAY ON
THE FENCE WHATEVER YOU DO, BECAUSE IF YOU DON’T, THEN ONE SIDE WILL BLAME YOU
AS WELL AS THE PERSON THEY WERE ARGUING WITH ORIGINALLY”.

You
can’t afford to be dragged in. You will
have to hold your hands up defensively and say, ‘Don’t involve me. If you two
can’t sort this out sensibly and without arguing I will send you both to your
room’. Here you have:

·
Made
a joke of it thus lessening the tension

·
Indicated
that you are senior to both of them

·
emained
uninvolved

·
Not
taken sides.

(Excerpts from THE
RULES OF WORK by Richard Templer Read “Knowing when to keep your opinion to yourself” from The Rules tomorrow on Asabeafrika)

Rule-to-Work Series