Friday, December 10, 2004

helpful people, they're the worst.....

Any time you're talking to someone and they start off a sentence with "I'm not trying to tell you how to do your job or anything.....", get ready to have that person tell you how to do your job.

This happened to me recently. Thankfully, this person wasn't talking to me about the job for which I get paid, but rather a job that I volunteer for at church. I called to talk about a question he had regarding this thing I volunteer for, and I explained my logic for setting things up the way I did. I knew it was coming, even though this was a phone conversation and not face-to-face. I could just feel it. Like when a quarterback tips the play at the line, looking at his primary receiver. The defense knows what's about to happen, and they adjust. So did I. When he told me that he wasn't trying to tell me how to do my job, I simply told him I'd look at everything and get back with him and everyone else involved this Sunday. Mind you, no one else has said anything else about this project.

Church staffs wonder why their church members won't volunteer for things at church. The scenario I mentioned has alot to do with it. Me? I'm thick-skinned when it comes to stuff like this, so it doesn't bother me. But some would take this as harsh criticism and vow to never volunteer again because they don't like getting their feelings hurt. Here's a clue - if you never want your feelings hurt, all you have to do it isolate yourself from the real world. The problem with isolation is that you're taking an even bigger risk - the risk that you might miss out on doing something you really enjoy......

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