Infighting

2008/6/12 Monday Cloudy

Today I encountered a situation of infighting with one of my colleague. When I asked a help from my colleague in the accounting department, I made several mistakes and finally led to an unhappy infighting. First, I wrongly assumed that she could accept my direct order. But it turned out to be not. I should have used another way to persuade her and influence her instead of just asking her to fulfill the task with a commander's tone. Second, I should have started with a warm conversation in my phone call before asking for her help. Although in fact it was her responsibility to accomplish the task, I should ask whether she could do me a favor in a polite way. Admittedly, my colleague probably suffered from pressure in her work and my cold call incurred her strong reaction. I personally should pay attention to dealing with people. No matter in what circumstances, and no matter how urgent and tough the situation is, I must talk with the people kindly and nicely. I'd better learn from my colleague Mr. Rocchetta, an experienced sales manager with a tremendously good inter-personal skill.

This story gave me a lesson. In some circumstances, direct order is not the best way to convey influence or ask colleague to finish a task for you, even though he is your subordinate, service provider or a supplier. A happy team spirit is important for a sound collaboration and therefore the successful or team work.

Good teamwork can bring much satisfying result than a single effort. We need cooperation in our daily business and also internal organization. Be happy and make your staffs happy.

 

J.Chen