Patience and perseverance

So, what is common between a subordinate who refuses to toe the line and your one-year-old who decides to stage a non cooperative movement?

They are stubborn, refuse to see reason, and very often want to just give you a tough time and test your patience. After all you are accountable for their performance and you've got to manage it somehow.

So, when your toddler decides to spit out every morsel of baby feed instead of downing it peacfeully or throws a tantrum in full view of the passenger traffic at the airport, its test time, baby! And you thought rolling your eyes, acting assertive by yelling to try and convince him that you are a tough nut to crack will work....

Project deadlines are approaching and you realise that you have been through a rough patch with your colleague of late. He seems not motivated enough to do the needful. No updates are forthcoming. And whatsmore, he senses you are boiling underneath the calm front you put up day after day.  So what do you do? A heated discussion ensues and you have a bigger problem at hand - an incomplete project and a miffed colleague.

While 'taking to task' mechanisms might be prevalent, what has worked for me has always been patience. And pereseverance. Patience has helped me strategise my reaction to the situation and perseverance has helped me build good working relationships with people who have been labelled as "being difficult" .

And as i key in this post, my little son is trying to fiddle with the computer and trying to get his hands on the twinkling light from the photon....time to call forth on the two P's.