Conflicts At Work

My current role is supporting our advisors in management of family trusts. It is vital that we work as a team and co-ordinate with each other to provide quality services to our customers.

Recently I have discovered a problem in one of my files so I brought it up with the designated advisor (who is a Senior Relationship Manager) in a memo. Several weeks passed, I never received a reply. Instead, I found that the file had gone back to the filing room.

I was not very happy that the Manager ignored my memo. Perhaps he was busy, stressed, under pressure, too many other things to worry about… I decided to take it up with him again yesterday. However, I got a cold reply from him that no action was necessary and that this matter was closed. I argued back based on my experience and training. He told me that all my training had been wrong.

This happened yesterday afternoon. Ironically, this very Senior Relationship Manager had taken me out to a café in the morning to chat about a new job position created in his department. He wanted to know if I was interested as he thought I am the best candidate. I expressed my interest in the position. Naturally I appreciated his considering me in the first stance.

What was I supposed to do? Should I do as I was told, or should I uphold my integrity by fronting the conflict, risking a desirable job I was going to get? I knew I had to choose the latter. I knew that jobs are only temporary. If I can’t work with him, there are always opportunities elsewhere. But being honest with myself matters much more than a job.

I consulted two solicitors in my organisation who agreed with my approach and solution. Since the Senior Manager had already told me that all my training had been wrong, I felt that I could not talk to him on this matter any more. I had no choice but to explain this matter to my boss and asked him to take over from there. Amazingly as soon as my boss took it up with this Senior Relationship Manager, he backed off and agreed to tackle this problem immediately.

Had I burned my bridge? Perhaps. However, I did what my consciousness told me to do. There was nothing I should be worried about. In the face of a dilema like this, I must ask my Higher Self as to what I should do because while the Lower Self might want safety, security, comfort, ego etc, the Higher Self will always want one thing - the truth. I believed that I did the right thing. I held up my integrity. I didn’t need to worry about how others think of me. The important thing is: how do I think about myself?

I received an email this morning. Surprisingly, it was from the Senior Relationship Manager. He apologised for his manner on this matter. Believe it or not, in his email he actually thanked me for doing a good job and said “keep up the good work!”

What have I learnt from this incident? - You just gotta live to the truth of yourself and everything will be all right!