Another brrrr…. Cold GOOD MORNING to you all!!! Time for a bit of Ed-vise!!!
Today’s bit o trivia: Gov. Frank Steunenberg. “Rugged in body, resolute in mind, massive in the strength of his convictions, he was of the granite hewn” said the late Senator William Borah of this former governor of Idaho. Steunenberg was assassinated by a coal mining assassin named Harry Orchard. Why? Especially when Steunenberg had the support of the unions when he took office. Well, the mining companies and unions were pretty squirrley out west back in the late 1800s early 1900s. It got so bad that Steunenberg asked then President McKinley (who was also assassinated) for help from federal troops. One of the few times a governor asked for federal troops. This action pissed off the unions who never forgave the implementation of martial law. So, after leaving office and 5 years later (1905) Orchard blew him up. Just like that.
Anyway…
What Would You Do Wednesday Ed-vise today
So many scenarios to think about and lay out for you. Keep in mind I can’t cover them all. My intent is to get you thinking.
Here’s the scenario. It doesn’t matter where you are. A person follows you out of a store or even within the store and accuses you or a member of your group of taking their phone.
See how easy it is to come up with scenarios? They come up all the time! Believe it or not, this happened to me and friend of mine a few years ago. We went to a grocery store in California to pick up some stuff for BBQ. There were three of us. My friend went to produce to grab a tomato. As he came to myself and my other friend to check out, a woman came up to him and said “did you take my phone?” My accused friend is black. He had no coat. Tank top, sweat pants with no pockets, carrying his own phone in hand. For us, he said “no” and that was that.
The recent one in New York City happened and the woman accusing the kid of taking her phone would not let up. Even sought to enlist others into her dilemma. Now, she faces criminal charges and the hotel is facing a PR nightmare. Why? Because they did not read my Ed-vise!
If you are confronted with something like this (a “Karen” situation), you will want to de-escalate ASAP. If you are being accused, simply turn, open palms (not in a “hands up” manner) and calmly say “I did not take your phone.” Understand in advance, you are dealing with a person that probably has a mental issue or is having a mental health crisis at that time!
For the shop owner, same thing: De-escalate. Offer to help the person. Even go so far as to offer to call the phone to help them find it. Again, you are probably in the tornado of a mental health crisis RIGHT NOW! Leaders prepare your people for dealing with such situations. I’m just saying
That’s it for today. Take care of yourselves. Check in on each other and remember an Apple store does not have Windows!
Peace
Ed-vise 