My new assistant has brought us into the 21st century, making my job easier and me more productive. One change was to our client information storing system. While I said, “do whatever works for you since you’ll be the main person using the system,” now that it’s in place, I hate it! Whenever I try to access client information, I run into problems and I am getting more annoyed every day. Since I only have to do this a couple of times a day I don’t want to make a mountain out of a molehill. Should I do something or just follow the advice of author Richard Carlson and “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff”?
Carlson’s advice is great when you’re truly talking about small stuff but we disagree that “it’s all small stuff”. Anything that annoys you on a daily basis is hardly small because of its potential, over time, to negatively impact your attitude and even your working relationship. Just like the dripping faucet – it seems small but it can cost you a lot over time. And you’re actually more likely to make a mountain out of a molehill if you don’t address this with your assistant -and the sooner the better. Here’s how to do that constructively.
Set a time to address the problem. Don’t bring this up the next time you try to access a client and are annoyed. Set a time to talk when you can both focus on the conversation.
Own your part of the problem. Rather than saying “this stupid client information system is driving me nuts!” try something like “I know that I told you to do whatever made sense to you with the client system and you worked really hard getting it set up. I need to talk to you about it because it’s not working very well for me and here’s why...”
Explain your concerns. Thinking through some questions will help you present your concerns in a way that can be problem solved. What are the problems you encounter? Do you get annoyed because it doesn’t work right? It’s too cumbersome? Or is it something else?
Listen. On the one hand, your assistant may be okay with changing the system. On the other hand, you may learn that its benefits make it worth the effort to figure out how to make it work better for you. In any case, you need your assistant’s perspective to find a solution.
So, “don’t sweat the small stuff” but do address those “dripping faucets” that can erode good working relationships.
