A Little Rum is a Good Thing
With Jack Johnson on my iPod and a Mojito in my glass I am happy to report that three hours ago I opened my first “You need to understand your rank” e-mail. I have a grin on my face that would make the Cheshire Cat proud.
I like to think that I treat people with equal respect and that while I understand that rank entitles a person to greater responsibility I see no need to treat anyone better than anyone else.
For brevity’s sake this is, well, the brief version:
PS1 failed to show up to the range Monday morning. I’m the Headquarters Company Training Petty Officer (TPO) and he is in my company. I caught up with him today and asked him why he didn’t show. He was with a friend, the friend is a bit of a bully, and PS1 was obviously embarrassed and uncomfortable.
“I thought I was at the range next week.”
“It’s your responsibility to check the rosters and know what week you’re in class.”
“I have to administer the advancement exam this week.”
As he was speaking to me he was walking away with his head down; he was avoiding me like I was the paparazzi. I had to follow. I was annoyed. I’ll admit to affecting a stern tone. It was probably a very stern tone. I replied:
“When you have a scheduling conflict you need to contact the training department ahead of time. Skipping class is not the appropriate way to handle this situation.”
About 30 minutes later I opened the e-mail. It seems I was “very unprofessional” . I thought about his accusation for about 30 seconds and came to the conclusion that it is acceptable for the pot to call the kettle black if that kettle is unmistakably black. I’ll approach him tomorrow after I get back from the range:
“I apologize that I made you uncomfortable. That wasn’t in any way my intention. And I’ll be more careful in the future about speaking to people about personal situations in public spaces. I was frustrated because you were walking away from me. I won’t let it happen again.”
And that will be the end of it.
I like to think that I treat people with equal respect and that while I understand that rank entitles a person to greater responsibility I see no need to treat anyone better than anyone else.
For brevity’s sake this is, well, the brief version:
PS1 failed to show up to the range Monday morning. I’m the Headquarters Company Training Petty Officer (TPO) and he is in my company. I caught up with him today and asked him why he didn’t show. He was with a friend, the friend is a bit of a bully, and PS1 was obviously embarrassed and uncomfortable.
“I thought I was at the range next week.”
“It’s your responsibility to check the rosters and know what week you’re in class.”
“I have to administer the advancement exam this week.”
As he was speaking to me he was walking away with his head down; he was avoiding me like I was the paparazzi. I had to follow. I was annoyed. I’ll admit to affecting a stern tone. It was probably a very stern tone. I replied:
“When you have a scheduling conflict you need to contact the training department ahead of time. Skipping class is not the appropriate way to handle this situation.”
About 30 minutes later I opened the e-mail. It seems I was “very unprofessional” . I thought about his accusation for about 30 seconds and came to the conclusion that it is acceptable for the pot to call the kettle black if that kettle is unmistakably black. I’ll approach him tomorrow after I get back from the range:
“I apologize that I made you uncomfortable. That wasn’t in any way my intention. And I’ll be more careful in the future about speaking to people about personal situations in public spaces. I was frustrated because you were walking away from me. I won’t let it happen again.”
And that will be the end of it.
posted by Jessica at 21:45
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