Confrontation is not
easy. Not for most people at least, which is a good thing: people who lick
their chops at the thought of a good set-to are the last people who should be confronting
anyone.
My job involves the
occasional confrontation. Happily, not often; maybe three times in the fifteen
years I’ve been supervising. In our office, the kitchen is the best place to
chew someone out when you absolutely have to. It’s open and accessible so that nothing
is done behind closed doors, but far enough from the troops that nobody hears
what you’re saying — unless you intend them to.
At least that’s the
way I choose to do it. I’ve never liked the practice of running to upper
management when I have issues with the behavior of employees who report to me.
Not at first, anyway.