It’s OK to be Angry

Many years ago my twin brother Chris and I were travelling through Orewa, north of Auckland to our home in Warkworth. We were hungry, so stopped at a fast food place. Standing at the counter after ordering, I couldn’t help but notice a large handwritten sign on the back of an office door. The wording on the sign concerned me. It read, ‘Some staff are lazy. Do your job properly or I will fire you.’ My immediate thought was, that’s no way to treat people. A  sign like that showed the culture in the place was wrong. The sign message was disrespectful and rude. My anger grew. I asked a member of the wait staff if I could see the manager…

I assertively told the manager to take the sign down and to treat all workers with dignity and if he had an issue with a staff member then deal with it in private in a fair way. He looked at me blankly. I repeated my message in a more forceful tone. Seemingly ignoring me again, he turned away without saying a word, walked over to the offensive sign and ripped it down. As my pulse rate settled, I knew I had done the right thing. 


POINTS to PONDER

Caring for people can require direct assertive action. 

Be prepared to advocate for people that may not be in a position to stand up for themselves.

Call bullies out. Be prepared to take some heat when doing this.

Courage and kindness are natural allies. Being kind is not being soft. 


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