Email from my connection and coaching friend M:
Marc,
Do you know if it’s ok to post a video on LinkedIn which I took and the person is cursing The video shows no person’s image. Just a heated exchange between two people on a bus. Thank you,
M
My reply:
M, thanks for asking. There is no direct answer to your question. Is there any value for a viewer of the video to apply to their business.?? What is the moral of what you’re trying to convey? You can always rely upon sage advice. I want Scott about LinkedIn since it’s a business communication tool: when in doubt, leave it out and I hope that helps.
Her decision, a good one, IMHO:
Thank you, Marc. I will leave it out!! It is nasty! I can describe it more or less. All the best, M PS Hope you read the post when I get it up there. I can send you the video if you care to hear it!!!
I passed on the video. My backyard abuts a golf course. I hear those words all the time….especially when golf balls come over our fence…
Here’s what she posted and it had a better effect than a video. She got to focus on what was important:
Moral of the story: use the right type of media for best intent. And as I said earlier, when in doubt, leave it out.
Her intuition about asking for advice was worth listening to and I was glad to help out.
This bus driver knew what to do!
Stories abound of people overreacting or doing nothing when they should – or others feel they should. The recent homicide of Jordan Neely, reported in headlines everywhere, is just one example of things going terribly awry and the facts are still coming in.
But, when someone is properly trained, like an MTA bus driver I recently rode with on the same day as Neely’s death, the outcome can be uneventful if still upsetting. On that morning, a passenger was yelling a barrage of obscenities at the driver from the back of a bus as it went down 5th Avenue. She wanted to get to work but the driver didn’t want to speed through a green light after picking me up. The driver exited his “cabin,” said he wouldn’t be rushing anywhere for her and claimed she had not paid her fare. She didn’t care what the driver said and kept yelling at him. Two passengers got off the bus before it finally proceeded.
The harangue continued for 40 blocks until the passenger got off, presumably to go to work. The driver, while annoyed, stayed steady and commented “she is only talking.”
A driver without training might have easily let the diatribe get the better of him/her. So, while the trip was ugly, it didn’t end in headlines.
If you want some coaching on how to handle tricky or unpleasant situations, either due to your occupation, personality or proclivity to react too quickly, please connect with me for a free consultation or via LinkedIn. #training #coaching #MTA