It’s the easy, cop-out answer. In a communication breakdown, some people ask the question, “What else was I supposed to do/say?”
- He really demoralized our team; how else was I supposed to respond to that email?
- They haven’t kept a promise for our entire relationship; what else was I supposed to do when she said “definitely”?
- He was acting like a complete jerk; what else was I supposed to do when he called me out in the meeting?
The question “what else was I supposed to do?” reveals two things about you. One is that you justify your actions based on the context and not the relationship. Two is that you have a very narrow Communication Comfort Zone.
As the international business world expands and becomes less western-dominated, the question “What else was I supposed to do?” will not be accepted as a valid justification for your actions. People with very wide Comfort Zones know there is always another option. They see multiple avenues when others have blinders on and only see their usual practices.
To help you expand your Communication Comfort Zone and keep you from becoming an obsolete communicator, here are three scenarios (all set in India, but can be easily transferred elsewhere) where you can test your ability to come up with an approach that avoids the narrow “What else was I supposed to do?” [Read more…]