I
think about the past.
The
other day I got a little bit of a snippy text from my coworker, complaining
about a scheduling issue regarding a benefit night. He was frustrated because
he was the only person working the benefit night and apparently it was causing
him trouble.
I
almost fired back something snarky in reply about how we had never needed extra
people on a benefit night before and if he couldn’t handle this he should consider
a new job. I may or may not have said
those things out loud from frustration.
But I
thought about all the times I used to send snarky text messages to my previous
manager and all the times he sent me snarky replies and how the whole thing
developed into a giant battle of snarkiness that never ended well.
Instead I just texted that I would keep it
in mind for the next time and left it alone. When I did finally get a
chance to talk to him, he told me that the frustration stemmed from the fact
that the people who were working the benefit night were shit. I’ve had trouble
with these people in the past and this was my last straw.
I was
glad that I didn’t snap at my coworker, because the issue had nothing to do
with scheduling or his ability to work. It had everything to do with a
frustrating, high tension situation dealing with idiots. It wasn’t fair for either of us.
The
situation has since resolved, but it does make me think about how it must feel
to be a manager. Before I could snap off any complaints I wanted to my manager.
Now I’m on the receiving end and from here on out I have to pay attention to
how I respond to those sorts of things.
Challenge
to my Readers:
Before
you respond to something, take a deep breath and consider where it might
actually be coming from. It’s always better to slow down and breathe.
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