Hip Hop Affirmation: I am a great communicator

The Ultimate Lyrical Mash-up: Traditional quotes meet Hip Hop lyrics with the same meaning….

Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world. -Arthur Schopenhauer

or

If you can’t see what I can see, you blind baby, you blind from the fact you blind. -Dwight Errington Myers (You Can’t See What I Can See)


The Story of the Two Technicians

There were two technicians; one supplied the other with work.  Technician A brought work to Technician B.  This happened by Technician A putting the work in what’s known as a stocker (an automated storage and retrieval system).  There were several three stockers along the factory floor:  one stocker was very close to Technician A, so when he completed his work he could quickly store it for Technician B to pick up, one stocker on the other side of the factory, which happened to be closest to Technician B and other stocker in the middle, equidistant from both technicians.

Technician B asked Technician A to please put the work in the stocker that was closest to her, after all she was the customer and the work should be delivered to her–right?  Technician A agreed and for several weeks he delivered the work to the stocker that is the furthers from him, but closest to his customer, Technician B.

All of a Sudden Something Changed

A few weeks go by and Technician A stops delivering the work closets to Technician B and Technician B notices that the work is now being stored at the stocker closest to Technician A.

Technician B thinks to herself, “what a jerk, I’ve told him to deliver the work to the stocker closest to me, he agreed and now he is back to his old ways of just doing what is most easiest and convenient for himself.” Technician B waits a few more weeks and then finally decides that she is sick and tired of Technician A.  She pulls in a manager.

Pulling in a Third Party

Technician B pulls in a manager to assist with getting Technician A to comply with the original agreement.  The manager pulls both technicians together to get a better understanding of the situation.  Here is what it sounded like:

Manager: Hey Technician A, Technician B tells me that the system of delivery you originally set up is no longer working so well.

Technician A: Yeah, the first couple of weeks things were working just fine, but then the stocker we originally agreed on for delivery was getting filled very quickly so I then had to use the one closest to me.  After the 1st hour of deliveries the stocker would be filled.

Technician B: I did not know that.  You never said anything to me.  I thought you just decided to go back to the old way.

Manager: Technician A, do you have an issue with delivering the work to the stocker closest to Technician B.

Technician A: No.  That’s not a problem at all; I just don’t want to take unnecessary trips when the stocker is filled.

Manager: Technician B can you communicate to Technician A when your stocker is filled?

Technician B: Sure can. and I would like to make a suggestions; if the stocker closest to me is filled, can we use the middle stocker instead of the one that is at the opposite side of the factory from me.  I never have to walk down that way and you have other deliveries that have you going right pass the middle stocker.

Technician A: Deal!

The Point:

It’s all about communication.  The story above is based on a true situation from a few years ago and I was actually the manager pulled into the situation.  What I found and you probably have seen the same thing, is that neither side took the time to communicate so it left a lot of run for assumptions and unnecessary ill feelings.

Moves to Make:

  1. Communicate and don’t assume the other party knows what you want them to know.
  2. Pull in a neutral third party when things are just not clear
  3. Be the bigger person who is willing to defuse situations by focusing on the facts of the current case (leave the past in the past).

What would you have done differently to handle the situation above?

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Bruny

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