Jodie’s boss recently exploded when she told him she was not up to speed on this new software they installed.

“You took a tutorial in it, didn’t you?” he yelled at her. He was obviously frustrated because they were behind in getting the data to the accountant, and the bank was holding back a loan until these figures were turned in.

Instead of having a live conversation, Jodie wrote this email:

“Look, Ernie, I have only been working on this for a week, and the tutorial was only half helpful. I have so many questions and it would be great if I take a whole day class in it at the software facility in Cleveland.
It’s a two day thing but that will get ME up to speed, and we’ll meet all our deadlines that way. I asked to go before. In fact, the manufacturer recommended it and included the tuition in the cost of the software package, but you said we couldn’t afford the time. If you could approve this, I’ll be up to speed as soon as I get back from the workshop.”

Not a bad email? Then, why did the boss get even more irritated at Jodie and turn what could have been a quick, in-office discussion into a battle of wills? How does one deal with all these different issues? Check in On Line at blogtalkradio.com Wednesday, August 19, 2009 at 8:00 AM PST for the Consultant/Insultant Radio show. We’ll talk about various ways Jodie could have handled this more effectively.