I was told a story this week about 2 work colleagues who have been in bitter conflict for some time. The conflict is escalating and it is becoming personal. The longer it goes on, the more obstinate both parties are being and the more damage it is doing to team culture.
Unfortunately, this is not an unusual example. I’ve either witnessed or heard about this sort of conflict many times over while working with people and teams. Every day conflict over every day work issues.
It occurs to me that, sometimes, something happens in our workplaces where people become less human. We forget that we are working alongside fellow humans, just like us. That, just like us, our work colleagues have dreams, hopes and fears. Just like us, they have a desire to connect, to find meaning and to be fulfilled.
Yet, in our workplaces, when things aren’t going well and conflict arises, we forget about the human we are working with, instead seeing them as the source of our frustration or failure.
I struck upon a term this week called socha¹. It is described as the “hidden vulnerability of others”. We are painstakingly aware of our own vulnerability — being privy to the voice in our own head sharing our doubts, fears and insecurities. Yet, we fail to see the vulnerability in others. Particularly those who portray a strong outer persona to the world.
