Dealing WIth People – Not Easy… At All
I've said it before to my kids, and people I've worked with time and again: What makes you think you get to make rules here? It's a classic attitude - someone does something that gets considerable praise, they enjoy that, and the attention it brings, they start to exercise a little more power over their world, and it succeeds. This continues for a while, unchecked, and in the end, the person has to be smacked down. This leads to hard feelings, etc. but in the end, if they can accept that they were at fault, then things can move forward.
I suppose I really can't blame the people, they see what they want, they grab it, don't see any consequences, and grab again. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. They start to think of themselves as untouchable and begin to act that way. I suppose the only thing that keeps a person in check in these situations is some internal regulator that says Hey, they may think you're great, but I know the difference - don't get too cocky! But many people don't have that. Maybe even most don't.
But I do. I guess that's age. Maybe it's a belief in something larger than myself that's looking over us all and just laughing at us when we think we're "all that". I don't know, but I do know that it's hard to work with these people.
As I write this I've realized that in additional to not making the rules here, I also don't enforce the rules. I'm sure someone is sitting up there laughing at my frustration at trying to get through to these folks. He's probably laughing harder at me than them.
I need to just see people as he sees them - funny. Liza made a cross-stitch of a fantastic fortune cookie I received:
Life is a tradegdy for those that feel.
And a comedy for those that think.
Think more, Bob. It's all pretty funny if you can get a little distance on it.