RE: Can I just say, and I'm just being honest...
November 20, 2016 at 7:08 pm
(This post was last modified: November 20, 2016 at 7:09 pm by Kernel Sohcahtoa.)
CIJS,
Yesterday was a pretty memorable day: as a management trainee, more people are starting to ask me for help; perhaps they may realize that I actually do want to help and be useful, or maybe they just think I'm doing a job. In either event, the most memorable part of yesterday was when a co-worker handed me a phone with an irate woman on the line. Apparently, this woman had been given an incorrect extension to women's evening-wear: she had been trying to get through to this department multiple times, but obviously, no one was answering; thus, she finally got connected to the men's department, which is where I work. As a result, when I picked up the phone and greeted her, she unloaded and got everything she had to say out of her system; I just stood there listening and allowed her to speak uninterrupted, as IMO, any defensiveness on my part would have only made her angrier. Once she finished, she apologized for taking her anger out on me and she was much calmer as a result. I then gave her the correct extension to women's evening-wear and the store manager's extension; she thanked me for my help, and then I connected her to evening-wear and went about my business.
Afterwards, a co-worker told me that I handled the situation well. In response, I remarked that "you've got to let them vent and you've got to stay cool and listen." However, the credit for this wisdom and conflict resolution skill goes to the positive role models I've had in my life along with my instructors who taught me that effective conflict resolution is an art. Hence, I'm just trying to become more of an artist with each passing day.
Yesterday was a pretty memorable day: as a management trainee, more people are starting to ask me for help; perhaps they may realize that I actually do want to help and be useful, or maybe they just think I'm doing a job. In either event, the most memorable part of yesterday was when a co-worker handed me a phone with an irate woman on the line. Apparently, this woman had been given an incorrect extension to women's evening-wear: she had been trying to get through to this department multiple times, but obviously, no one was answering; thus, she finally got connected to the men's department, which is where I work. As a result, when I picked up the phone and greeted her, she unloaded and got everything she had to say out of her system; I just stood there listening and allowed her to speak uninterrupted, as IMO, any defensiveness on my part would have only made her angrier. Once she finished, she apologized for taking her anger out on me and she was much calmer as a result. I then gave her the correct extension to women's evening-wear and the store manager's extension; she thanked me for my help, and then I connected her to evening-wear and went about my business.
Afterwards, a co-worker told me that I handled the situation well. In response, I remarked that "you've got to let them vent and you've got to stay cool and listen." However, the credit for this wisdom and conflict resolution skill goes to the positive role models I've had in my life along with my instructors who taught me that effective conflict resolution is an art. Hence, I'm just trying to become more of an artist with each passing day.