It's a joke in my office. At least, I hope it's a joke. I am the office 'mom'. All too often I find myself (or am made aware of) saying 'you need to...', or 'this is what you should...', or any number of 'mom-isms'. I raised 4 kids and have 4 grandkids. It's ingrained in my soul to be the mom.
While my office-mates know my intentions are the best and I care deeply about them, it's still annoying. I know this. And I consciously try to curb the parenting. With an even slightly different group of people, my intended upside has the potential for a serious downside. Someone could easily read my 'caring' as:- A lack of confidence in the decisions other make - as though I don't trust them to do the right thing unless I tell them what that is.
- A lack of respect for the maturity of others - apparently they are not grown-up enough to make their own decisions.
- A commentary on their intelligence - as if they aren't smart enough to know what to do.
None of these things are true about my office-mates, or my staff in other offices. I am blessed to work with, and for, amazing people. We are family-close. I'd hate for anyone to take me wrong, so I need to work harder to stop my mothering.
Additionally, the more I tell others what to do, the less they will listen to me when I actually have an important point to make (kind of like kids).
Do you parent your staff? What type of reactions do you get? How did you stop? I'd love to hear your stories!
Beth George is the Director of Business Development for Converse Consultants and has been annoying her co-workers for 19 years.
Converse Consultants is an industry leader in geotechnical engineering, and environmental, groundwater and materials sciences. We are celebrating our 70th year of service.
For more information about Converse please contact Beth George at bgeorge@converseconsultants.com
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