Kicking A$$ and Taking Names

Have you ever had someone go out of their way to insult your very being? Have you ever had someone stick their nose in where it didn't belong? Have you ever been questioned by the people you serve? I have.

Questioning is good - it is good to question leaders to make sure they stay on track, don't wander, are communicating properly, and are not traveling off to left field. However, there is a way to do it with grace and kindness that doesn't cause people to hate you.

The questioning that I got was annoying, inappropriate, and really slightly rude. However, I did take the time to look at everything, ask a few people that I work with, and evaluate everything just to make sure. The questions were not entirely out of line, but I hadn't communicated myself properly, so the check up was good. Unfortunately, the person who did the questioning, doesn't know me. They didn't know that I don't make decisions willy-nilly. I sit and think about them for quite a long period of time before acting, and if I don't get that time, then I tend to stress out about the decision for at least a few days after the fact.

Now, because this individual doesn't know me, and has a hard time communicating kindly (never send an email - always talk in person!), they made the crucial error of insulting my ability to perform my job through insulting my time management skills. ..... I repeat - YOU DON'T KNOW ME!!! If one of my good friends or family had questioned my ability to do everything I signed up for, I would take them seriously and think about what they said, because they know me well enough to know when I'm getting myself in over my head. They know from experience where my breaking point is. They know my time management qualities, my resume, my determination, my sleep schedule, etc. Coming from anyone else, this accusation is simply insulting.

I read the offending email to my sister - and the look on her face was priceless. The look on her face was shock that someone could say to me what they did. (This is coming from my sister, who is one person in my life who has pushed every single one of my buttons and truly knows my limits.)

The good news is - every person that I have ever worked with, every professor that has ever taught me, every boss or advisor I have ever had - would know that I can kick some ass when necessary. They know that I can do unearthly amounts of work while still finding time to sleep and get good grades.

The email that I sent back was sister-, friends-, and even Mom-approved. Because these people know that I am not a kiss ass - I don't get things in life because I'm pretty or a girl. I get what I want because I work hard and fight for it. I will always be kind and professional and non-confrontational, but if you ask me to, I will kick your ass.