“Most of the trouble in life comes from misunderstanding, I think,’ said Anne.” ― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of the Island
“We’re all islands shouting lies to each other across seas of misunderstanding.” ― Rudyard Kipling, The Light That Failed
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All evening Mary Carol brooded over what her employee Jill had done. She could not believe that one of her employees, especially Jill who was new, would have the nerve to correct her in the middle of a presentation to a client. She was really annoyed.
When the presentation ended, Jill left the room and went home for the day. This gave Mary Carol time to think about what had occurred. On the one hand she was really displeased with Jill. On the other hand she was very concerned that she was judging Jill too harshly. Perhaps she was misunderstanding the situation. Maybe Jill had not meant to correct her. Maybe Jill was simply trying to impart some information or be helpful.
Yet the fact remained that while Mary Carol was in the middle of sharing some information with their client, Jill jumped in and told them to include her on all communications. The longer she thought about it, the more that she became convinced that her anger was probably misplaced. There was nothing about Jill that would indicate that she was anything other than a good team player. Mary Carol knew what she would do.
The next morning Mary Carol spoke with Jill. She asked her why she had jumped in and told the client to include her on all communications. Mary Carol explained that at first she had been truly angry with Jill. She stated that she felt that when Jill jumped in to tell the client to include her on all communications that it was in a sense undermining. Mary Carol went on to tell Jill that the more she thought about it the more she realized that she was being unfair. She realized that Jill was really coming from a place of being helpful. Jill confirmed that in fact she was just trying to be helpful, because she thought it was the right moment to remind their client about her role in the communications process. Right then and there Mary Carol and Jill discussed the best way for Jill to participate in discussions and presentations. And right then and there, Mary Carol and Jill were able to move beyond a misunderstanding and toward a stronger working relationship.
Misunderstandings do not always need to be the cause of trouble; they can be the catalyst for growth.
Wishing you a week where your misunderstandings become masterful understandings!
|
|