Monday, June 23, 2008
Why do some people take great joy in thwarting others' ideas?
More importantly, how do you deal with them?
A young mother was telling me that her 3 year old has the annoying habit of asking endless, ridiculous questions. The example she cited was a skinned knee. The child would ask, "What if it doesn't get better? What if the bandaid falls off? What if...? What if...?" "I think it's a game with her", the mother said.
I'm certain that all of us have experienced customers, vendors, employees, friends and relatives, who think it's great sport to bombard you with inane questions. They not only waste your time, they sap your energy. What's the solution?
My advice to this young mother was "Turn the tables on her." Say "That's a good question, what do you think we should do if it gets infected? What would you do if the bandaid fell off?" My experience is that people who ask ridiculous questions or raise ludicrous objections don't enjoy the experience when the roles are reversed.
It's counter-intuitive, but an easy way to put an end to game playing is to reverse the players' roles - ask them what they'd do in that situation.
We'd enjoy hearing your approaches to dealing with game players; post your suggestions as a comment so that all of our readers can benefit from your experience. Please let me know what topics you'd like addressed. Email me at dale@furtwenwengler.com.
More importantly, how do you deal with them?
A young mother was telling me that her 3 year old has the annoying habit of asking endless, ridiculous questions. The example she cited was a skinned knee. The child would ask, "What if it doesn't get better? What if the bandaid falls off? What if...? What if...?" "I think it's a game with her", the mother said.
I'm certain that all of us have experienced customers, vendors, employees, friends and relatives, who think it's great sport to bombard you with inane questions. They not only waste your time, they sap your energy. What's the solution?
My advice to this young mother was "Turn the tables on her." Say "That's a good question, what do you think we should do if it gets infected? What would you do if the bandaid fell off?" My experience is that people who ask ridiculous questions or raise ludicrous objections don't enjoy the experience when the roles are reversed.
It's counter-intuitive, but an easy way to put an end to game playing is to reverse the players' roles - ask them what they'd do in that situation.
We'd enjoy hearing your approaches to dealing with game players; post your suggestions as a comment so that all of our readers can benefit from your experience. Please let me know what topics you'd like addressed. Email me at dale@furtwenwengler.com.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home