Communicating Responsibility

All of our hearts go out to the people of Japan as they deal with the growing dangers of spreading radiation, the result of possible meltdowns in three of the nation's nuclear reactors. This horror happened, of course, as a result of twin-natural disasters: a tsunami and an earthquake. That a nation - any nation - would be hit with one these crisis is staggering enough. But for one country to face all three simultaneously is mind blowing. Plus, the reality that the situation for Japan and its millions of citizens may very well get worse makes it even more gut wrenching. This is why a recent cell phone conversation captured and splashed over You Tube of a UCLA co-ed bad mouthing Japanese citizens living in America who are trying desperately to call home to check on family and friends was and is so upsetting. The poor taste and ugly insensitivity displayed by this young person were nearly as captivating as the tragedies themselves.

To her credit, she apologized via the student newspaper. But her three-minute tirade was immortalized for all to see. How long she will have to carry this albatross around her neck remains to be seen. She communicated a dark side of herself. We all do at times. As was the case with her, there are moments when sides of ourselves we either try to keep hidden or only let out only under certain circumstances are revealed. We are caught off guard. We are exposed by others. Or, in this case, we are unknowingly being watched or monitored. None of the scenarios are good because part of who we are that we ourselves are probably not keen on are laid bare for all to see, including those who do not look upon us with much regard, appreciation or understanding.

I applaud this person for taking responsibility for her behavior. I will give her the benefit of the doubt and assume it is sincere. Far too often, not many people appear to be capable of even that. She was caught communicating badly and she sought to rectify it by communicating in a more responsible manner. Bottom line: this the way for communication miscues to be handled. No passing the buck. No excuses. No diversions. No lies. Instead, taking ownership of the bad behavior and moving forward to behave better. Allowing yourself to remain vulnerable to criticism. None of these so-called "fix-it" strategies are easy to do because those who were hurt by the bad behavior are understandably often slow to move on. Communicating and behaving responsibly go hand-in-hand. They are also the best way to reverse a negative situation.