Motivational

Rule 79: Be objective about the situation

December 2, 2016

Nigeria’s Media Lords; Cheif Dele Momodu (Ovation) Mr. Mayor Akinpelu (Global Excellence & Mr. Kunle Bakare (Encomium)

If
you are feeling got at, abused, tormented at work you have various choices:

·
Walk

·
Report
it

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·
Flair
up and be angry

·
Say
nothing

·
Handle
it assertively.

How
you choose to handle difficult situations is entirely up to you. However, before you react, think of the
long-term plan. How will a claim for
unfair dismissal or constructive dismissal look on your CV over a career history? I’m not saying you should put up with abuse
of any sort just to get on. No, I am not
saying that at all. I am saying be objective about the situation.

“My boss had to apologize to me in front of
the customer. And I wasn’t treated badly again.
I felt I was objective. I then waited, and sure enough he cocked up
again with someone else and was eventually sacked”

I
was once ridiculed by a particular boss – and badly ridiculed. This man had got it into his head that I was
his pet football to be kicked around as and when he felt like it – and that
was, curiously, often after boozy lunches. I was quite junior and had few
choices – walk away from the job or go over his head and report him. But his
boss was also his best friend. If I
reported him I would have been out of my ear pretty quick. I needed the job and
didn’t want to walk away. I had to be quite devious, but I basically got him to
treat me badly – ridiculing, abusive language, that sort of thing – when one of
our major customers was listening.

“HOWEVER,
BEFORE YOU REACT, THINK OF THE LONG-TERM PLAN”.

My
boss didn’t know this and the customer was furious. He sorted my boss out in no uncertain
terms. Said he ought to be ashamed of
himself treating a junior like that.
Tore him off a good strip indeed and then told me to tell him if this
ever happened against –and that if it did he would take his business elsewhere.
His business was about 70 percent of our entire turnover.

My
boss had to apologize to me in front of the customer. And I wasn’t treated
badly again. I felt I was objective. I
then waited, and sure enough he cocked up again with someone else and was
eventually sacked. I waved him goodbye
with a cheery grin and a wink.

(Excerpts from THE
RULES OF WORK by Richard Templer Read “How to put things in perspective” from The Rules tomorrow on Asabeafrika)

Rule-to-Work Series