Jun 9, 2022
How do you handle humiliation at work? A client
emailed me asking about handling humiliation at work. He described
how he's been working hard on his presence with his team. He's been
personally and privately thanking those who have offered helpful
feedback. However, despite his efforts, he was humiliated by a
direct report in front of his department. He considered this person
one of his biggest supporters, to make matters worse.
He asked me, how do you handle humiliation at
work?
Oh, how I wish I could take a hard-line approach and
say, "It's never OK to humiliate someone publicly, and
therefore the other person must be fired!"
But where then is the space for misunderstandings and grace for bad
moments? I've had bad moments where I've said something dumb and
hurtful, have you?
Effective communication in the best of circumstances requires a lot
of context, especially when something as painful as humiliation is
involved. There are relationship dynamics and circumstances that we
must consider.
There are possibilities beyond "right" and
"wrong."
Before I could answer his email, my client went to the offending
person and had a difficult conversation. She apologized, feeling
terrible, and admitted she'd lost her cool.
So how do you handle humiliation at
work?
You already know.
Be like my client and have the difficult conversation. Be clear and
kind. From there, you'll have the information you need to move
forward.
If you need help figuring out how to be clear and kind with your
words, contact me @ alex@pswithalex.com.
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