Yes or No?

I hate to be the integrator. Integrator if I’m using eloquent words and the middle man if I do away with the niceties. An integrator needs to be watching his steps carefully lest he ends up in quicksand, the deadlock situation!

During one of the resignation dramas, I ended up being the integrator. After consulting with the resigned, I passed the relevant information to the higher authority and watched events unfold from a safe distance so as to help both the parties reach an amicable solution. All the while, I constantly checked on both the people – the resigned and the higher authority. The higher authority was always upbeat. But the enthusiasm was never reflected on the resigned. There was no conclusive decision as the days moved forward.

So I confronted the higher authority first. He had cleanly parked the ball on the other court and was waiting to hear from the other party! Armed with this information, I confronted the resigned. “Yeah, he did say something”, the resigned replied in an offhand fashion. Sensing his disinterest, I advised him, “This will not work with the higher authority. You have to specific as in telling him a yes or a no”.

There was an uncomfortable silence. So I asked again in simple terms, “Yes or No?”. He said softly, “Yes”. I was about to let out a sigh of relief when I realized something wrong with the tone! So, I questioned, “It is a yes, which means you are staying”.

He replied softly, “Yes, I’m moving on!”

People, I say, love to communicate positively!

Tags: Musings,Resignation