After 18 years in the challenging world of corporate America, I’ve learned a few things:
1. Speak up diplomatically.
2. Speak up diplomatically.
3. Speak up diplomatically.
One day, I was working with a remote computing technician to resolve a Blackberry issue for one of my users. It was a common problem, nothing unusual. However, this technician wasn’t as cooperative as I needed. He wasn’t answering my questions clearly, had a less than positive attitude, and wasn’t very helpful. I recognized his voice from previous interactions, and this wasn’t the first time I’d noticed this behavior. I decided it was time to address it.
I’m generally a very easygoing person. Yes, really! (Stop laughing!) Sometimes I get carried away on talk forums, but at work, I keep things professional. I learned early on that you have to treat clients and support staff with respect and kindness, just as you’d want to be treated.
Even on my toughest days, my clients never saw me upset. They often asked, “Angel, how do you stay so calm and clear-headed in all this chaos?” I get stressed like everyone else, but I know that aggression or bad attitudes don’t help. I don’t snap, scream, or lose my temper. I focus on staying calm and collected, even when others are upset.
Back to the remote computing technician.
Remember, I worked on a trading floor where things needed to happen quickly. I don’t like being difficult or harsh, but I have to be effective. If someone slows me down because they’re having a hard time or seem unwilling to help, that’s just not acceptable. My clients need results fast, and they put a lot of pressure on me. I have to pass that pressure along. If I asked for a Blackberry Enterprise reset, it’s because I’ve done my homework. I’ve requested this many times before, and I ask newer staff to trust me and follow through.
This technician continued to be uncooperative, refusing to do what was needed. Afterward, I politely sent an email to him and his supervisors asking for clarification on a few points that weren’t clear from our call. I believe the message got through. This tech now understands how things work on the trading floor. You can’t approach this environment with the same relaxed attitude you might have in other parts of the company. It just doesn’t work here.
As an example, just yesterday I was still at the office working on some outstanding tasks at nearly 8:30 PM, having started my day at 6:30 AM. Taking it easy in that kind of environment simply isn’t an option. Sometimes a gentle reminder needs to be sent to newer team members, whether by email or a quiet word with their supervisors.
Bottom line: we’re all on the same team. It’s important to learn from experienced techs rather than making their jobs harder. It’s always better to make allies than enemies in any team setting.
Could not agree more with this! So, so important to keep your s%*$ together in the workplace—even if you’re having the crappiest of crap days, people deserve to be surrounded by folks that genuinely care about what they’re doing (what’s that saying…fake it til you make it!;-)
Fake it til you make it, but also understand that we are not the causes of your anger. Nothing pisses me off more than seeing someone attacked for something they have no control over. When that “victim” was me, I did my best to maintain my composure, but make no mistake, I have emotions, and though I may give off the appearance of composure, I get pissed just the same! LOL.