Sounds like a really interesting and worthwhile topic to discuss. But it’s quite hard to be sure I’m on the same page as you without a few examples. Even hypothetical ones would do. “For reasons that should not need to be said”—unfortunately I don’t understand the reasons; am I missing something?
Anyway, speaking in generalities, I believe it’s extremely tempting to assume an adversarial dynamic exists. 9 times out of 10, it’s probably a misunderstanding. For example, if a condition is given that isn’t palatable, it’s worth finding out the underlying reasons for the condition being given, and trying to satisfy them in other ways. Since humans have a tendency towards “us vs them” tribal thinking, there’s considerable value in making effort to find common ground, establish mutual understanding, and reframe the interaction as a collegiate rather than adversarial one.
This isn’t meant as an argument against what you’ve said.
What I was saying is that if I were Andrew, I’d make it crystal clear that I’m happy to make the cup of tea, but don’t want to be shouted at; there are better ways to handle disagreements, and demands should be framed as requests. Chances are that Bob doesn’t enjoy shouting, so working out a way of making requests and settling disagreements without the shouting would benefit both.
More generally, I’d try to develop the relationship to be less “transactional”, where you act as partners willing to advance each other’s interests and where there is more trust, rather than only doing things in expectation of reward.
Sounds like a really interesting and worthwhile topic to discuss. But it’s quite hard to be sure I’m on the same page as you without a few examples. Even hypothetical ones would do. “For reasons that should not need to be said”—unfortunately I don’t understand the reasons; am I missing something?
Anyway, speaking in generalities, I believe it’s extremely tempting to assume an adversarial dynamic exists. 9 times out of 10, it’s probably a misunderstanding. For example, if a condition is given that isn’t palatable, it’s worth finding out the underlying reasons for the condition being given, and trying to satisfy them in other ways. Since humans have a tendency towards “us vs them” tribal thinking, there’s considerable value in making effort to find common ground, establish mutual understanding, and reframe the interaction as a collegiate rather than adversarial one.
This isn’t meant as an argument against what you’ve said.
I’ve expanded the first paragraph and added a hypothetical example. Let me know if this clarifies the situation.
EDIT: Oh, I also added in a direct response to your comment.
Thanks, it does a bit.
What I was saying is that if I were Andrew, I’d make it crystal clear that I’m happy to make the cup of tea, but don’t want to be shouted at; there are better ways to handle disagreements, and demands should be framed as requests. Chances are that Bob doesn’t enjoy shouting, so working out a way of making requests and settling disagreements without the shouting would benefit both.
More generally, I’d try to develop the relationship to be less “transactional”, where you act as partners willing to advance each other’s interests and where there is more trust, rather than only doing things in expectation of reward.