Attitude

Not really a story, but my philosophy of how to conduct my behavior, when I was a State of Ohio Field Tax Auditor, for eleven years.

ATTITUDE

 

The moment you walk into a situation, you must be in control.  A person can not be in control, unless he himself knows that he is in control.  Please note, I expressly did not say, he is only in control when he thinks he is in control.  You must be in control and everyone must know it.

 

If you walk into an environment with a group of people with ten times your i.q. and your toupee falls off, you stuff the rug in your pocket and, without the blink of an eye, you proceed on your mission.  Power has nothing to do with your physical appearance.  This is your mission, which can only be successful, if it remains your mission.

 

Persons who sense your lower i.q. will attempt to dazzle you with their vocabulary or terminology you do not know.  If you ignore this power play, you have been lowered in your authoritative position.  Acknowledge that fact that you are not familiar with what they are saying and they must speak more clearly to you.  The majority of the time, when they are reduced to using common terms, you will discover that they know very little about the subject and were hiding behind rare terms usage in an attempt to keep you from knowing they were in the dark.

 

If you have a three inch wide, three foot long run in your pantyhose, a splitting headache, and you meet up with someone as well versed on the subject as you, don't start the game with a team that is unprepared.  Never admit your weakness, but alays recognize it.  It is a very large image builder for you to cut an encounter short, even in your obvious physical chaos, to go to a more important, priority situation.  Reschedule for tomorrow that which you are not prepared for today.  Remember, however, honestly is not a weakness.  Do not refer to your personal problems, but feel free to admit to the person that they did make some valid points and you would like to bounce them around with one of your associates.

 

Never attempt to build up your power by reducing someone else, nor should you allow someone to vie for a higher position by lowering your standing.  The firm ground you stand on follows you everywhere and requires no fill from any foreign source.  Your ground is, purely, your own.  So, get yourself some attitude!

Author's Note

I wrote it down, because as Examiner-In-Charge, it was my speach to new Auditors, whom worked under me; I didn't want to miss anything.

Reviews

[Samuel Dickens]

Much of what you say is familiar, being very similar to my experiences in the military; in particular, that of performing in a leadership role. (Something that never came natural to me, but I had to learn how to do it) You must be in charge and run the show, no matter what. If you don't, you're lost.

[Susie Q]

This is so true & you didn't miss a thing.

[deeps]

Yes this is so true. Always stand your ground, protect who you are.
There is only one you. If you don't fight for yourself who will.
Never let anyone knock you down. Have confience in yourself.
I like this very much.