Ahh. Oscar.
You can’t say the name Oscar in America without knowing its surname…”the Grouch.”
He lives in a trash can. He likes trash, and usually complains about other people’s racket.
And while our fuzzy grouchy green muppet may do random acts of kindness (such as trying to replace Ernie’s rubber duckie), he’s known most of all for being grouchy. He does have a girlfriend–Grundgetta– and shows his affection for her, BUT overall is known for being grouchy. Hmmpht. See a pattern? While there’s nice things about Oscar, he’s known for what? His name is what?
The Grouch.
Being grouchy is a weird thing. It can happen anytime, anywhere. The littlest thing can set it off. And it can ruin your whole day. In fact, it can ruin everything. And it spreads easily too. Therein lies my qualm–how easy it is for people to get grouchy. Its easy to find stuff that goes wrong–yet, for something so easy, it sure does take up a lot of emotional energy. For some, its an epidemic. And there’s a lot of people that are grouchy.
Unfortunately, this is the perception of way too many service personnel. Bitter. Disenfranchised. Nobody care about me. “This is how it is, and they don’t know.” Of these grouchsters, my favorite are sales or account executives. People whose role, at their core, is serving others–but somewhere there’s been a loss of purpose, perspective. Here’s an example.
While working at a luxury agency on account staff, the girl next me would get on the phone with clients. She’d be sweet, show her “affection,” and help them out. There’s be a “thank you…you bet…you too…” and then a slight slam of the phone. Then, I’d wait for it. 1. 2. 3…
“That BˆTCH!”
Everytime. It didn’t fail.
Whether it was calling a female client or male client, there was a derogatory remark to soon follow. And it was hard to miss. You could feel the whole aisle of cubbies cringe when she did it.
Yep. She was a true grouch. Nice in public, but those cameo moments showed up. Just like our pal Oscar. Give him a little time, and he’s back to the trash. And for her, that’s what you soon start associating her with. “Yeah, don’t get on her bad-side, she’s a real [grouch].”
I’ve got wonder though. No one ever says “Hey, I love being grouchy. I think I’d love to live alone in a trash can, its the coolest.”
Are you or someone a real grouch? Why is it happening? Especially, time and time again. Perhaps there’s not good boundaries there. Perhaps they’re not happy. Who knows.
But if its happening at YOUR workplace, here’s some really good questions to ask.
- If those clients are so much of an inconvenience, then why do you have them?
- Why did you pick up the phone if you were really not available to give them your full attention?
- Is this really the best job for you if meeting the needs of other people is agitating you, making you grouchy?
- What are you really known for? Hopefully, its not grouchiness.
These are some pretty simple, and effective, questions to ask yourself. If you are a brand, then grouchiness can be a brand attribute–I hope its not.
For me (at that previous agency), I often wondered why that girl worked there–especially if everything was such a bother. For her, she knew the boss. He was a neighbor. Ah, I get it. Security.
But for you, I hope you are known for something other than being grouchy. I hope that you NEVER slam the phone after a client call is done and mutter a grouchy comment.
We may like oscar, because he’s a puppet. But no one likes a real grouch.
