Communicating With Diplomacy and Professionalism

I spent Monday and Tuesday in a seminar entitled "Communicating with Diplomacy and Professionalism."  I learned that my primary defense mechanism, extreme sarcasm, is viewed as "unproductive."  I realized that when backed into a corner, I do often resort to humor to diffuse my anger.  However, I think in my own defense there are situations in which humor is way better than a chainsaw to the head.

When I arrived back at work on Wednesday, hungover from the little angel's most recent bout with night-time teething, I was greeted by my boss, who informed me we'd experienced a meltdown of the vice-presidential variety the day before.  Apparently I was now in charge of a project that involved two contractors who needed to start immediately and enough paper to fill the pothole on 75th Street three times.  This project is also extremely unpopular (go figure) with the people who have to implement its results.  So, as I read the body language of some of the members of the group (defensive, no angry, no, let's make that overtly hostile), I got to practice both my new deep-breathing skills and my negotiation skills (always know your breaking point - and boy, mine got close).

So, I guess you can say it's been a busy couple of days. If I were you, I might consider buying stock in the Fat Bastard Wine Company.  This project is supposed to last a month.