Costly is the Price of Inaction

One of my sisters, Heidi, accepted a management position with a well-known cosmetic company. She was excited for the new opportunity.

Shortly after arriving and settling in her new position, the company decided that Heidi’s talents and sales track record were better served with one of its cosmetic lines located in a major department store outside the city. It would be the company’s last ditch effort to save the cosmetic line’s business in the area.

The news of the change came with mixed reviews. On one hand, this presented a great opportunity for Heidi to make an immediate impression and position herself for future growth within the company by turning around a fledgling cosmetic line. On the other hand, the commute from her apartment in the city to the new location would be a grueling two-hours each direction, requiring her to take a series of trains and buses. Nonetheless, she felt up to the challenge.

To properly prepare for the upcoming, and hopefully profitable, fourth quarter, the department store’s leadership was assembled off-site for a day of training and instruction. Heidi purposely sat near the front of the room in order to be seen as a team player. At one point during the day, one of the store’s national executives, Bill, walked from the front of the room to where Heidi was sitting and handed her a note that read, “If you’re going to sit in the front, make a point to stay awake!”

The note took Heidi by surprise. To the best of her knowledge, she was totally engaged in the meeting and at no point had fallen asleep. Albeit disturbed by the impression Bill had of her, Heidi concluded that she wouldn’t pursue the issue further in hopes that it would quickly go away.

The following day while back at her store, Heidi received a visit from her immediate supervisor, Ron, who mentioned he’d received a call from Bill reporting the sleeping incident and questioning whether Heidi was the right person for the job. Frustrated that the situation had blossomed, Heidi relayed her side of the story to Ron. After all, she and Ron worked closely together and he was well aware of Heidi’s intent and tireless work ethic. She asked Ron if he would intervene on her behalf by putting in a good word for her with Bill in hopes of squashing the incorrect perception before it snowballed further. Ron assured Heidi that addressing it further would only escalate the situation and recommended leaving it alone.

As weeks passed, Heidi continued to hear rumblings from other store employees, management, even other vendors about her incident. She couldn’t seem to shake the perception that implied she wasn’t fully committed to her job or the turnaround of the cosmetic company. A year later and despite her store’s record sales, Heidi was passed over for a position within a store closer to her apartment in the city, all over her pervasive reputation of falling asleep on the job.

The path some professionals take to resolve conflict–whether it be a mistake, misunderstanding, or misperception–is the opposite of what should happen. In their minds, addressing the issue may only serve to further create tension, so they choose to diffuse the situation by doing nothing. In other cases, professionals lack the experience and knowledge to turn a situation around.

Brand-conscious professionals always nip conflict in the bud. Do your part to prevent conflict from growing. If you lack the experience or knowledge to do so, seek the guidance of a trusted friend or mentor. Once the record is straight, get on with business.

In the words of Dale Carnegie, “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”

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