Interpersonal Business

Using a friend’s loss-of-job experience – he was a casualty of management’s jealousy over his success while the corporation as a whole was failing – the feelings, anxieties, and path to a successful and fulfilling resolution are discussed in three phases. Phase one’s most devastating emotion is “finding blame,” because it wastes creative potential in finding a solution to the problem. Phase two involves getting past thinking of our employment as how we are defined by society, then having confidence in “our own advice.” Phase three comes in accepting reality, then rebuilding by charting the future and sticking to the game plan.

How we see ourselves is as real as real can get. Our self-perception can easily preclude, limit and eliminate our ability to learn and succeed. How others perceive us is often so important that we compromise our standards in order to please. Management must be flexible, decisive and, above all, consistent; lead by example. In viewing others, it’s easy to jump to conclusions. Always remember that if something simply doesn’t make sense, there is more to the story.