ASSERTIVENESS – AT THE WORK PLACE! (MUSCAT DAILY)
Muscat Daily At The Work Place Column of Monday 1st of February 2010
At The Work Place!
Assertiveness!
There is no ‘I’ in Hunter!
One of the comedy series that I like to watch is ‘Mumbai Calling’ It is very funny and pokes fun at an Indian Calling Centre trying to serve its mainly non-Indian based customers (and those on visit to India) and the clash in culture, customs, habits, values and traditions. The ironical part is that they had brought over a British Lady in addition ‘to manage and look after things’ – though the Indian guy there is quite capable by himself to do so – though he too is British born!
Trust the British Lady Manager to find it ‘all wrong the polite and docile way’ they deal with their customers – that are mainly mean, patronizing, condescending and demeaning – and even aggressive and insulting.. The Call Centre is all locally staffed – and they stand all these whilst trying to remain cool, collected, nice and pleasing as Call Centres are supposed to. I know this from personal experiences from my own daughter who used to come home crying everyday – but then the Centre is not in India and its customers are all mainly local – and they feel it all okay for personal affronts and taking out their frustrations and insults on a front line poor girl than directed at the establishment.
Anyway, the British Lady Manager is very disappointed that her Staff are not ‘assertive and affirmative’ enough in dealing with their customers – a perspective perhaps different if the Centre was at home and manned by their own peoples – this in itself is very insightful! So she calls a Staff Meeting to talk about Assertiveness – despite protestations from her deputies that think it was unneeded and was against the home culture. She starts her lecture by saying that ‘she is a hunter, and she hunts her preys for food – and that in between the word of Assertiveness is the letter I (Me!). Forgetting that she is addressing Staff that are mainly vegetarian – and there is no hunting or meat in their diets. She tries to encourage in Play Act for one Staff to terminate another who comes from the same home town – and he breaks down that he cannot do it – and if he goes – he will go too. He tries on the boy (next story) to stand up to his Mother to say he does not like her food (a thing which is not on even at home – as a Mother is a Mother anywhere in the world)!
The meeting soon falls apart – where some are seen to be running out to vomit because they had just been made to behave and act differently – and also to have a change in their food diet! Then the talk moves to arranged marriages and her attempt mainly to push one of the young boys to stand up to his parents because he was being forced into an arranged marriage. That is where the boy standing up to his parents is all confused and lost – and is heard muttering that there is an I in Hunter (instead of Assertive) – and his Father corrects him that he is mistaken because there is no I in Hunter!
I remember this too myself in the early 1980s in my last Oil Company where we had a similar Manager who had wanted us also Omanis to be more ‘assertive, affirmative – and less docile’ – his own words. So we went for the Lecture. What do we lose. Just to get two days off Office work – and where there are a lot of breaks – and coffee, tea and snacks served too – with a ‘free’ lunch on top!
The Lecturer started first by asking each one of us to stand up in the class and introduce ourselves – and also to add this part ‘Why do I think my boss sent me for this course?’. So when it came to my part and after having introduced myself I added – Frankly I do not know why my boss sent me for this course. If I have anything on my mind, I talk to him frankly about it – and follow up by an Email write up. I stand my ground – and I let no one push me around – and especially if I know I am right, correct, professional and ethical – not only him as my boss but even his boss too. Then he asked me – then why are you in this course? I said – ask my boss, not me. He told me I could go – but the girls in the class wanted me to stay – so you can make us laugh – they said to me in unison.
There is nothing wrong in being assertive especially at the work place – and learning to say No at the same time. Indeed we could do more with all these – it is the imposition and style introduced that is all wrong!
There is also this old adage – if there is a thing working for you – let it grow and prosper – protect and preserve it – appreciate it – and do not spoil things for yourself or your Family!. Or the other famous ones – Let sleeping dogs lie – or still – Never trouble ‘trouble’ till it troubles you!
Take Care!
By Majid Said Nasser Al Suleimany
majidsnalsuleimany@hotmail.com
Websites – www.alsuleimany.com
and www.mas-trac.com
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