By George Tarabay
“Dear Mr. Tarabay,
Your more than welcome to visit us
Sincerely,
CEO of Blah-Blah”
I know, I cringed too. Your and you’re: a real pandemic.
The email above is a simple sample or siample (a Siamese combination of the two words siampelese. Pun score 1000000? No? Ok) of why people make me anxious in general. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s amazing when people are able to communicate in a second language, it’s the ultimate manifestation of the brain re-wiring itself, but can you, at least, use Microsoft Word? I mean, YOU’RE the CEO for God’s sake and you should positively present a reflection of YOUR company in all of its aspects, including its communication.
With that small rant out of the way… Hey! I don’t like working with humans. And please do get me wrong on this one, people are just plain…Ugh! I am no exception: come on, who starts an article with a judgment then proceeds to de-merit it and still believe in it?
I have worked with many people and many horrible bosses, including my shrink (whom, for some reason, refuses to work with me now) and I have reached the following conclusion: Working with humans is inevitable, and arrives as a necessary evil for growth.
Yes, I know, how can you not like people and grow with them? Simple: Observation is another powerful tool, when used correctly. If you are able to observe and accurately pin point what you do not like in people, then proceed to employ that observation to better yourself, then you, my friend would be a loser. Because seriously, who builds their personality by contradicting other people’s personality attributes? My point is that, if you employ that observation, only to notice that you’re a judgmental fruit cake, then your life would be much easier.
Sure, it is upsetting when your manager has the linguistic skills of a toddler, but who cares? Why should you care? Why should I care? Yet, we do care. Such attributes in people can throw us so off track that we lose sight of what we were supposed to accomplish with those people. It sends us through an amalgam of positive goals for the project at hand, mixed with an unjustified judgment towards the person we are collaborating with.
But at the end of the day ( 5 p.m. in business hours), we have to co-exist with these people, as we all hold information and talents in our capacity that we render in the form of services. Whoever claims that they need no one else to grow, has obviously never experienced growth in their life. Now, someone might argue and say: Hey George, I was a baby, and I grew up into an adult all by myself. To which I would so wittily answer: Yeah but who fed you? Who gave you the food? Who taught you?
Growth is a shared experience, it’s a give and take, it’s your success prevailing where others surrendered. It’s not all yours nor will it ever be. Isolate yourself and your growth stops, work with others and you’ve got a 50-50 chance.
So, we need one another. No, actually, we have to need one another. Otherwise, Trump. And even though most of the time, you have fantasies about correcting your boss’s grammar, or telling that lady in the meeting that she is practically screaming out her presentation, or telling your co-worker that no he may not have a small bite of your burger. It is very important to simply relax, smile, and enjoy the fantasy while it lasts. You never know who is having their own corrective fantasy about you and for what reason.
Here I am signing off, knowing for a fact that Yasmine from the bazaar team cringed while editing this piece, and fantasized about smashing my head through her screen. Still, the people at bazaar including her, always greet me with a smile.
George Tarabay is a local radio host, comedian, and marketing expert. For his latest updates, follow him on Instagram @GeorgeTarabay. For the video ‘Working With Humans: A Simple Guide’ visit Facebook.com/Georgethecomic or scan this page using the Layar App!
