Advice please, oh tactful ones....

SueC_2

All that said and agreed, however....

It can be easy to feel defensive of the way 'we' do things, and feel criticised if an incomer challenges them in some way. On occasions though it can be worth considering the alternative viewpoint and questioning whether the current way is necessarily the best way, or is it simply the way that is embedded in tradition and routine.

heretolearn_2

Hi,

thanks for all the ideas, I do need to nip it in the bud, it's just I can be a bit of a hard-!!! at times (or at least big boss says so, but I think he's too wimpy) and I didn't want to go in too hard too quick. But with your encouragement, consider it nipped!

It's not that she disagrees with our own policies/ways of doing things, she's been fine with that, and we have in the past reviewed our systems when someone comes in with better ideas.

But she has only argued over undisputable facts! For example if in tv some piece of equipment is always called 'X' as the industry standard, but in radio the equivalent radio version of that equipment is always called 'Y', she'll start saying that X is the real name. I feel like asking whether she either doesn't believe me that Y is the name in radio and she thinks I don't know what I'm doing, or if it's just that she thinks Y is a silly name and the radio industry should start calling it X as well. Either way, a bit of a waste of time...

It's not a massive problem, it's only happened a few times, it just had me scratching my head as the best way to handle it.

SueC_2

You could alway try saying "You say tomato, I say tomato" in a very bored sounding voice everytime she starts trying to split hairs. Unless she's incredibly thick skinned, she'll soon get the message that nothing she says is going to make you reconsider your view, and that she'd be foolhardy to continue challenging her boss.

By the way, in case you hadn't noticed, the whole "You say tomato, I say tomato" thing works a lot better verbally than in the written word!