Managing Sticky Situations at Work

72 Managing Sticky Situations at Workhim to come up with the idea. If Dr. Nash had made the suggestion,he would have lessened the likelihood of it happening.Join Feeling with Fact. Dr. Nash joined feeling with fact throughoutthe conversation. He began by saying he was distressed. He askedMr. Lane to talk about his feelings and how to resolve the issues thatsparked those feelings.Resolve the Issue. Dr. Nash’s overlying issue was to stop Mr. Lanefrom chewing out his staff. He, therefore, agreed to Mr. Lane’s desireto make the decisions for the animals, and he also agreed to adjust Mr.Lane’s bill. In return Mr. Lane must bring his concerns to Dr. Nash,rather than yell at the front desk staff, and he must apologize to Donna.If Mr. Lane does not comply, Dr. Nash made the consequences clear.FIRING THE CLIENTSome of you may wonder why Dr. Nash didn’t simply fire theobnoxious Mr. Lane. After all, Dr. Nash’s success did not depend onthe Lanes’ business. Had Dr. Nash applied the Decision Points andrealized that firing the client was the best option, he would have proceededwith that intention as noted below.APPLYING THE SAY IT JUST RIGHT MODELDr. Nash wants to avoid missteps when firing a client like Mr. Lane.If he uses explosive words with a highly charged Bold, he might findhimself in a dangerous place. The goal here is to let the client knowthat he is no longer welcome in the clinic without incurring too muchwrath.When firing a client, you can still use compassion and you may wantto show curiosity. One caution, however, if you show too much curiositythe client might believe he or she can remain your client. If youclearly want to end the client’s business, it’s best to state the problemand to move to the next steps without too much conversation.SIJR CONVERSATION TO FIRE THE CLIENTDr. Nash chooses to telephone Mr. Lane at his home the evening ofthe incident.‘‘Hello, Mr. Lane. This is Dr. Nash. How is Muffin doing?’’‘‘He’s doing fine. My wife tells me he’s eating and taking hismedication.’’