The middle ground can be the toughest

Somewhere between the lands of "hardball" and "just get it done" lies middle ground.

In the land of "hardball," the answer is usually "no." There is a harsh, arrogant, cold, legalistic approach to dealing with customers and situations. No warm fuzzies live here.

Far away in "just get it done," you hear things like "yes" and "sure" and "no problem." There's a tireless,  order-taking atmosphere that will eventually wear down the inhabitants.

The area in-between is the toughest. In middle ground, you have to deal with tough situations, yet still serve the customer or fellow employee. You're pressured to think, to really think.

People will flock to the extremes of "hardball" or "get it done" because they require less thinking and less ownership. But in middle ground, you can find purpose and quite often, respect.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
http://www.labov.com/

There is No Middle

Things I've heard from well-intentioned people (clients, employees) while conducting brand assessments, communications audits for their companies:

I'm caught in the middle between the client and our company.
I'm not sure whose side I'm on, whether it's the sales department or the engineering group.
I'm here to take my client's position, to protect them.


If we think we're in the middle or we're protecting a client against our company or shielding one department from another, we need to re-adjust our thinking.

There is no middle. There is no good guy or bad guy. We are supposed to be working together, as imperfectly as it may be. The more we think "middle", the more we separate ourselves from solving the issues.

It can be glamorous, it can be a political move, it can be totally innocent, but we must fight the stuck-in-the-middle attitude and do the un-glamorous--listen, learn and find an answer that will help all of us achieve our dreams and goals.


Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com
LaBov Sales Channel
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