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>Have we all forgotten we all had to start somewhere? I once was in the
>position of getting a lucky break when entering our profession. I was at the
>receiving end of a lot of crap because I was the "f---king newbie".
>Fortunately, there was one person who gave me some latitude.
Where did the idea that people were thinking of being cruel to
Lisa start?
The original poster had no intention of getting the problem
employee fired. In fact, the orginal post praised her potential,
and suggested a concrete plan to give her the experience she
needed. That sounds to me like a good balance between the need to
get the job done and the wish to give her a chance.
It's a good idea (as some posters suggested) to mention the
problem to her first, and assure her that everyone is on her
side. However, while diplomacy is needed, it's a false kindness
to give the problem employee delusions of competence.
Yes, I know it's not easy to tell someone that they don't make
the grade. I used to agonize over failing someone when I taught
at university (especially when I had to fail a visa student,
since I was basically sending them home). However, a more
experienced instructor told me that I couldn't evade the
responsibility just because dealing with it made me
uncomfortable. For one thing, if I passed students who didn't
meet the basic standards, I was not only setting them up for
greater failure and greater distress later on, but passing the
buck to other instructors. It was actually crueller to delay the
inevitable than to face up to it. I never liked the
responsibility, but I couldn't in good conscience evade it,
either.
--
Bruce Byfield, Outlaw Communications
"The Open Road" column, Maximum Linux
3015 Aries Place, Burnaby, BC V3J 7E8, Canada
bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com 604.421.7189
"Father, father, tell me, why do the horsemen ride?
Why do the troopers look so grim by Jamie Graham's side?
Is it true that he's a traitor? But father, tell me why,
There's no' a man among them a' will look him in the eye?"
-Brian McNeil, "Montrose"
