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It's A Me, Not We Problem ...
March 12, 2019
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We've all had to deal with this either as staff or management, the self-appointed spokesperson trying to get their way by using the word, "we" when they really mean themselves. I call it the "We, when I mean only me, syndrome." These individuals never take responsibility for their actions and instead attempt to change the subject by pointing out the assumed inadequacies of a plan or the person in charge.
Why Make Us All Suffer ...
One of my favorite stories involves two personalities who were staff mates of mine back in the day. Since I was an air talent and not the boss, I got a chance to observe the divisive ways they tried to get each other fired. Everything was always a bit unhinged even with simple on-air contests. Things got so bad, upper management suspended its open-door policy and gently ordered the PD to get the staff involved in an activity to promote unity. It was decided joining a softball league could be the gateway to harmony. All of us had to participate, even though it was only these two knuckleheads who were the problem. One of us (me) suggested the two put on gloves and fight it out with the loser resigning.
Play Ball ...
We had a couple of practices and surprisingly everyone got along, including our two malcontents. All was good until the first official league game. Long story short, we were winning and our two narcissists got in a fight over an upcoming paid remote; the fight spilled over into the game and during a fly ball to the outfield, the bickering personalities, in disguise as center- and left-fielders, did not communicate and the ball dropped in for a two-run double and cost us the game. Well, that's when all hell broke loose; those two were yelling at each other, several of us started yelling at them, and one of us decided a baseball bat could be a deciding factor in eliminating both of our malcontent office problems.
Thankfully, no lasting injuries were sustained, and the PD finally told upper management we needed to get rid of both personalities; the PM-driver had great ratings and held on to his job and the in-house rival got the boot. By the way, our softball team did lead to better relationships within the station.
Only Those Involved ...
Organizing a softball team to help with team building and morale was a good idea that turned bad, but in general it was a step in the right direction for the staff. Unfortunately, it was done to fix an isolated problem that was caused by two people.
It's always best for management to deal with a personnel problem one on one. Using the whole group to fix the problem with one person rarely works.
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