“What was different from this past Saturday, than the Saturday before?” I asked.
“The Saturday before,” Karyn started, “Rachel left early in a huff. This Saturday, I talked to her early in the shift, in a calmer conversation. She still left early, but not in a huff. So, I don’t know that I made any progress. She clocked out early and left work to be done.”
“And, how did you feel about yourself, from one Saturday to the next?”
“What’s the difference in the way I felt? The outcome was the same.”
“How did you feel about yourself, from one Saturday to the next?” I repeated.
“A week ago, I was pissed. As the supervisor, I was disrespected. I lost control. I am certain my manager was disappointed with me. The weekend work was left undone and we had to double-up on Monday to catch up.”
“What was different this past Saturday?”
“I thought I headed things off by having a calm conversation. I acknowledged there may be circumstances outside of work that were having an impact inside at work.”
“You were the same two people, on the same Saturday shift, Rachel still left early. Between the two of you, who was different?”
“Well, I was much calmer,” Karyn replied.
“What changed in you?”