What, me?

What’s in a word?

My wife and were talking about work stuff and she said something very interesting about me. She said that I do not have “thick skin”. Now I thought about it for a while only to find that I was embarrassed, hurt, tearful and annoyed.

All of this is a joke of course but I wanted to learn more about her comment. It stemmed from a friend of hers getting the business from her boss including threats of losing her job due to unfulfilled projects. Outside of the threats, she was ripped until she succumbed to tears. My comment to that was something to the effect of standing up for oneself (in a manner that is professional, of course). I believe you have to stand a ground where you can do what you say and vis-à-vis. As long as you deliver what you promise, you can have the right to defend yourself when needed.

I was told I do not have thick skin and that I am offended easily. When I heard this, I was offended… LOL (Joke again). However, the point is, I have no problem with confrontation; even with the boss if the situation calls for it. Now, I am not saying you must be rude just to prove a point, but I do believe there is a stance to take and that all sides must be brought to light. Now, what I cannot tolerate is the personal attacks from people hiding behind their positions. That is an act of coward proportions. I have seen that ill activity in a number of work environments and I did not like it then nor do I like it now. If that makes me “thin skin”, then I agree with the assessment, totally.

What’s in a word? What have you been called or not called lately?