Send to Kindle

You have a complaint, you take it to your parents. In school, you take it to your teacher, then escalate it to the principal. At work, you take it to your boss, his or her boss, HR, and even the CEO.

For some complaints, (for some of you, many complaints) you find there is no response. You get frustrated.

The truth is, the receiver of the complaint will act if they can, and if they think it is worth it. Sometimes, they don’t have all the information, but don’t know how to ask for it. Sometimes they think you are wasting their time, but prefer to avoid conflict rather than coach you.

Meanwhile, you are simply training yourself to take your problems to others, people you perceive to be in “positions of power” and who “need to do something about it.”

What if you decided that you are the person in a position of power? You are going to do something about it and you are going to recruit your boss, HR, your boss’ boss, the CEO or whoever it takes to get it done. Build a coalition that will solve the problem. Now that is an ability no one will complain about.

Before you rush around taking on the responsibility to solve tough problems, you need the ability to tell when you truly, truly need to hold someone accountable for solving a problem. Wait, I just realized the above guidance still applies! Phew!