More Work Shenanigans

So, the new thing at work is to be vulnerable. Bosses, executives, co-workers, we must all be vulnerable so that we can trust each other.

It feels very awkward to be in front of people and talk about my purpose in life and my greatest fears and what shaped who I am today. 

Jerry gets a lot of heat, or course, for ditching us, in fact he gets all the heat, and I’ve said that he was verbal and loving and then said we weren’t worth the $100 each in child support, so that’s why I don’t respond well to compliments and can’t talk to bosses about bonuses and raises without tearing up.

I had to make that song and dance again this last week, and there was an extra bonus question. Beyond “What affected you most as a child?” We were asked “What affected you most as an adult?” I said, “Well, getting MS - because it turned me into my father, everything I hate, someone who is overly emotional and talks without thinking.”

That surprised me. Still not as much as having an entire four hour work meeting devoted to childhood trauma, because that’s how the Kids Roll Today.

Comments

[Big Dot]

Gawd. I can’t imagine anything worse than having to talk about such personal stuff in public. It’s impossibly intrusive and just plain rude making people open up like that. Shudder. Also, surely counter productive stirring up old resentments?

[TheQueen]

Big Dot - we have had some people just not get on board. Of a group of ten, two people just dodged the bullet, one by talking about her work habits instead, and one by complaining the childhood experience that most made him who he is today was not getting the specific toy he wanted when he was ten.

It did make me understand one personality clash, but I do not know what else it did. I already talk about anything that crosses my mind, but doing it at work after years of being told not to is odd.

[Alice]

Thank goodness that hasn't been an expectation anywhere I've worked. The worst I've ever had to do was a personality assessment thing where we were required to put our printouts on display on our desks. I still remember being so mad at being made to answer multiple choice questions about what I would do in various situations when NONE of them were what I would do. I think I displayed mine inside a drawer after the first hour.

[TheQueen]

Alice - what I’ve found with those assessments is that there is always someone who uses it to justify his or her obnoxious behaviors. “You can see here that I am a heavily defiant introspective non-communicator. You all need to adapt to my communication style.”