Thursday, May 01, 2014

Lunacy and being wrong

At work if I make a mistake generally speaking I own it. My current boss was portrayed as a toxic mix of ambition and clueless. In reality I have found her to have a basic humanity that is under appreciated.

I had a case that went sour which was unusual. People frequently cry at the end of an interview but those are typically tears of joy. I explained that the situation was really tragic. The person went to an unlicensed preparer and used a single faulty word incorrectly.The boss asked how I knew it was used incorrectly. I explained I interviewed the person and asked in depth questions prior to discussing the error. The term was clearly used erroneously with catastrophic results.

My boss asked me why I didn't fix the error. I pointed to the clock and my packed calendar and that the job would take roughly three hours. In this case the applicants stupidity and negligence caused his problem. If you want legal advice go to an attorney, not a beautician or mortician. I pride myself in never missing a scheduled interview and asking for help.

The boss asked me what is the alternative for the applicant. Should they wander about aimlessly and hope someone else would fix this or an attorney would eventually correct this. How many years might go by? The situation not only impacted this person but his entire family.

In this instance I looked at my boss and conceded she was correct. I created the paperwork to bring the person back. A person's life should be larger than the clock on my wall. In this case my not performing this task realistically meant a delay of three years or more minimum. Assuming that the following officer would be reasonable even with an attorney is not a given. It was better to invest the three hours now then kick the ball
ahead.

My boss was given a lousy reputation and I really should not be shocked by her very human and warm qualities. Normally, I am the one that doesn't need the reminder, but every now and then even I need a second opinion. In the case of my boss and the previous boss if I were incapacitated and could not make the call  whose judgement would I pick. I hate to say it but I would choose any of the bosses in seconds. They are all great people who mix law and common sense. Each one of us sometimes gets caught up in what we are doing that we sometimes loose perspective.

Another example was while using an experimental technique I got unnerved by the use of an inappropriate
word by an applicant. On the rare instance I hear an epithet or something really offensive a gentle reminder is all that it takes. A disabled applicant said a slur word multiple times, but when this is done by a stroke survivor I am morally reluctant to redirect. My boss called me out and saw in my face my angst. She looked at me and said "forget that word. Everything you need was in the testimony." I looked at my boss and nodded. She pointed out the technique did work very well. Unfortunately, my concentration was broken by the slur and the use of a different technique did not require an exponentially higher standard.

All of us can be wrong at times. Hopefully, we listen to others with different perspectives.

2 comments:

Ducky's here said...

"Another example was while using an experimental technique ..."

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A new drug?

Sensory deprivation technique?

Using a soft pencil like a No. 1 to facilitate erasures when filling out the forms?

beakerkin said...

I don't get commies so for now no
water boarding.