Day 169 - Practicing Assertiveness
I was presented with the opportunity to practice being assertive today. I have an acquaintance who seems to enjoy being in charge of things, especially when he has been previously tasked with managing them; he has a very hard time letting go when his duties have concluded and the responsibility has been passed to someone else.
I was told by a colleague that just such a situation had occurred with this person for the second time, so I had to address it more firmly. I had spoken to this individual about the behavior when it happened a couple weeks ago, so I was a bit perplexed as to why it was happening again.I was proud of myself for handling it the way I did. I was direct and firm while maintaining my integrity, and allowing him to maintain his dignity in spite of being out of line. His contrite response gave me the impression I had handled it well.
The reason I would be grateful for such a situation isn’t so that I can be in control or have power; I am glad it happened because historically I have not been very good at asserting myself. I am sometimes too concerned about accommodating the feelings of the other person to be as firm as I need to be. This time, I chose my words and suggestions carefully without cutting myself off at the knees, and was very happy with the way things turned out.
Maybe I am getting better at this after all.
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