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Managing Sticky Situations at Work

Managing Sticky Situations at Work

Managing Sticky Situations at Work

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<strong>Sticky</strong> E-situ<strong>at</strong>ions 189nothing th<strong>at</strong> might be prejudicial. Once Mickey knew th<strong>at</strong> Nicholeheard him, he shared his own frustr<strong>at</strong>ion.In the end Nichole wanted time to pray about this problem and wasthereby reluctant to agree to the resolution. Mickey, however, pushedher to agree to stop putting her religious views on the blog. The finaldecision lies with Nichole. Is having blog access more important toher than spreading the Word? Wh<strong>at</strong>ever she decides, Mickey hasaccomplished his goal to stop her from proselytizing on the companyblog.Specify the Problem. The first time Mickey specified the problem,he used neutral words. He referred to her posts as ‘‘religious inn<strong>at</strong>ure.’’ He chose not to use the more explosive term, proselytizing.He knew she’d get defensive and he wanted to minimize her defensivenessas much as possible. The second time he specified the problem,he did so around the feelings of others. He said he wanted herto know th<strong>at</strong> her blogging might ‘‘offend’’ others. He showed compassionashelistenedtohersideofthestoryandasheurgedhertohelp him find a solution.Invite the Other Person to Talk. Mickey invited Nichole to talk onseveral occasions. Dealing with an Expressive, he had no trouble gettingher to talk. The problem was getting her to talk about the rightthing. She spoke openly about her beliefs but gave him nothing th<strong>at</strong>might lead to resolution. Her inability to see any resolution beyondher own determin<strong>at</strong>ion suggested to Mickey th<strong>at</strong> he’d have to resolvethe issue in his own way. He approached her with curiosity, almostbegging her for suggestions. But, she remained firm in her positionth<strong>at</strong> she was doing wh<strong>at</strong> God asked her to do.Join Feeling with Fact. It was not until the end of the convers<strong>at</strong>ionth<strong>at</strong> Mickey shared his feeling of frustr<strong>at</strong>ion. He let Nichole know th<strong>at</strong>he wanted the blog to be an open forum. He wanted her to continueto post but only about her work successes and concerns. He did notwant her to turn the blog into a place where people espoused theirreligious views. In sharing his frustr<strong>at</strong>ion,hehopedtogainhersupportand willingness to change.Resolve the Issue. In the end, Mickey resolved the issue and thenasked for Nichole’s agreement. He advised her th<strong>at</strong> if she did not agreeto the blogging rules, he would remove her password access. This resolutionwas heavier than Mickey would have liked, but he could see noaltern<strong>at</strong>ive without Nichole’s help and willingness.

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