Have you felt or thought, even if only sometimes, that what you are saying to another is not understood or interpreted in the manner you desire? I have felt so on a couple of occasions.
Reflecting on conversations I have had with some persons, I realise often times what I say is either misunderstood or misinterpreted. Examining what could be the cause and how it impacts me tells me that perhaps, I am not communicating intent adequately, or that the person has a certain impression or assumption about me that causes the recipient of my message to consider what I am saying as being inappropriate, or that the individual may be preoccupied with thoughts that are misaligned with what I am saying.
I also realise that in experiencing what I construe as a push back, I tend to quickly get into a victim position. While it is important to not allow self to be overwhelmed by being misunderstood it cannot be denied that we do experience pain and hurt.
I do not have an antidote for this yet believe that the only way I can preserve and restore when I experience being misunderstood or misinterpreted is to seek within and ask if I have been fair, honest, well meaning and genuine and if so, let go of how I am being assessed. In so doing I am able to bounce back with resilience.
As Sheryl Sandberg says in her book ‘Option B,’ ‘Resilience therefore isn’t about having a backbone; it is about strengthening the muscles around our backbone.’
Resilience is the strength and speed of our response to the pushback we experience.
(The writer is an organisational and behavioural consultant. He can be contacted at ttsrinath@gmail.com )
