Because I'm in charge of making the schedule for five teachers in the English Department, every time a session begins, I'm confronted with everyone's requests. I believe that when you're happy, you work better, you radiate positive energy and you help create an enjoyable working environment. So, I always try to accomodate the teachers as much as possible.
However, last session, pleasing everyone was simply an impossibility. In the end, I'm the one who ended up feeling stressed out. I felt like I was trying to assemble a puzzle that had oversized pieces. I just couldn't do it. I did manage to produce a schedule, but once it was done, I realized that not all of the teachers were satisfied with it.
Living or working with people requires making compromises. You need to give and take. It's not easy to do. Everyone wants to pull on their side of the blanket to get the bigger piece, but being like that comes with a price: the price of war! Developing harmonious relationships requires you to be flexible and accept that you won't always get things your way.
For the next session, I've decided that we were all going to sit down together to draw the first draft of the schedule. Each of the teachers is going to give his or her requests in order of importance. If I see that one request goes against another, I'll have them figure it out. And, I'll go down their list, making sure they all get the same number of requests granted. That way, it will be fair and they'll all be aware of the concessions the others are making.
Knowing how to compromise is a key component to having healthy relationships, whether it is with co-workers, friends or your partner. However, you always have to make sure it's a compromise that feels right. A "bad compromise" would be one that makes you change in a way that you wind up becoming less of your full, authentic, thriving self. While a "good compromise" would help you change in such a way that you grow into your most full, authentic, best self.
Some things are just not worth the fight and rising above your ego by letting go of the control can help you create a happier and more harmonious home and work environment.
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