Knowing how to use language appropriately in certain situations is a crucial skill to possess. There are times that we need to mitigate our words but there are also times that we need to be assertive and strong in what we are saying. The problem is, not many people know when to be strong and when to be soft. In chapter 7, The Ethnic Theory of Plane Crashes, Gladwell points out the lack of the ability to talk accordingly to the situation which eventually leads to errors in teamwork and communication, as the major cause of plane crashes.
While reading chapter 7, I got so frustrated. The attitudes and the mitigated language use of the first officers irritated me. Especially, the possible statements of first officers such as, "Boy, this is a, this is a losing battle here on trying to de-ice those things, it gives you a false feeling of security, that's all that does." seemed really useless in an emergency. However, if this kind of situation only takes place in job places of adults, I would stop thinking about it in a serious way. What made me feel even more frustrated was the fact that this weird atmosphere of mitigating oneself even exists in students' society. My school is a primary example.
In my school, a huge gap exists between seniors, juniors, and freshmen. We all say outwardly that we are KMLA family but in reality, most of us are not that much close to each other. In most times, this lack of understanding does not make any problem. However, when we try to do some project or experiment together, the problems that are previously hidden are revealed.
The most serious problem that I faced while working with some juniors was the lack of communication. One by one, they were really great students. Sometimes they were so good at certain subjects that I even felt intimidating. Although they had great abilities however, it was not really a pleasant time for me to work with them. Because of the gap and because of the lack of mutual understanding, I constantly felt somewhat uncomfortable. I could not say the things that I wanted to say clearly because I was afraid that they might think that I'm trying to act like a senior.
Another problem was that they too had difficulty addressing me to work on something. They tried to give me the less amount of work so that I would not complain about them in the future. Of course I liked to work less but that situation was certainly not natural. The project ended quite successfully (which is quite surprising) but no one really felt happy during the project.
When doing a work, communication is crucial. Without talking, nothing can be done. Problem is, many people fear talking. We, including my self, fear about our image, our future, and the immediate response that we will going to get. However, in order to succeed, we need to take those minds away from us. We need to have a courage to speak up.
The lesson I learned from this chapter? Whenever you work with someone and you have something to say, JUST say it!
Good post. Developing a sense of when to JUST say it and when to wait a little while is a delicate art. When a plane is about to run out of fuel.....SAY IT.
답글삭제The reltionship between freshman and seniors is still really interesting to me as a foreign observer. In many instances the potential mentoring is very good, and in America it would be far different.