Article April 27, 2020 Issue

A prayer for mutual respect and cooperation

Name Withheld

Some years ago, I was feeling frustrated and hurt by a colleague’s manner toward me. We had been working together for a year or so, and our relationship had been friendly. But the mutual respect and equality between us quickly eroded when we were assigned to work on a special project with other staff members.

Suddenly I felt as though our every conversation turned into a contest to prove who knew better. In discussions about the project, as well as at other times, I felt dismissed or patronized.

It was tempting to react by telling him off, or at least pointing out his overbearing attitude, but I was afraid that would just get us into a sparring match. I didn’t want to disrupt our team project with conflict, so I put up with the mistreatment and hoped the situation would improve without my saying anything.

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