Emotions are often tough to control. If someone pisses you off, it is hard to take that as not being personal. You are now pissed off, does it matter why?
It really does matter. Many people have two (or more) sides to their personality.
- Home version – what they are like with friends and family.
- Work version – what they are like with coworkers or clients.
These two versions of a person may not be anything alike at all. They have different goals, objectives, and audiences. There are different ways of being successful. You end up with different bosses that drive some of your actions. It’s often the case that the person you deal with at work is not trying to be rude or difficult intentionally, they are just trying to get through the day and get the job done.
Essentially, all this is to say that you should put the shoe on the other foot. If someone is causing you difficulties at work, try not to take it personally. If they piss you off, tell them because they may not have realized it. If they piss you off and don’t care, just focus on getting your job done because ultimately the person doesn’t matter. You still have a job to do and you will likely have to deal with that person again.
There are only so many times that you can say “I can’t work with that person” and actually get to not work with the person again. We don’t get the opportunity to pick our colleagues.
Well said and very true.