Fear of Confrontation

by Mohan M Prasad
(India )

The fear of confrontation may have played a role in letting a bad work related habit continue. But it did not block the inspiration from a most unexpected intervention that ultimately stopped the bad habit in it's tracks...

My boss had this habit of calling me over the phone at odd times on all days... even on my days off.

Invariably his conversation will begin with "Mohan, where are you?"

While I handled these situations with the temperament that we at corporate world learn to possess; however I could sense the growing irritation in my wife who would find it just not funny and almost an infringement of our privacy and personal life.

It was one of those late evenings when we were getting ready for a family dinner outing and I was having my shower when the cell bell rang with the typical opening question.

"Hi! Mohan, this is........... Where are you ....?"

My wife seizing the opportunity responded. "Well, Mr. .......it's 9pm and where else do you expect your staff to be at this hour?"

Believe you-me, I never got those late evening/night calls again and neither has he ever spoken about this conversation.

Sometimes we fail to face and overcome certain situations as we are fearful of possible consequences.

It sounds so silly.

And then there comes those providential interventions. Things change, and we realize how we put up with something that we probably could have changed long ago.

Mohan M Prasad