Great! I was wondering how to go about approaching this subject when I stumbled across this thread. Perfect!

While scanning through the various posts today, I noticed there seemed to be some real.....ummm.....negativity. For many years I worked in a Customer Service environment as a Supervisor. Through the years I delt with many different personalty types both as customers and as co-workers. I loved what I did. I loved helping turn an unhappy customer into a happy one. I enjoyed teaching people that made their way through my "teams" how to interact with people in a positive way (as many seemed to have not received this type schooling at home). And I believe I made a positive impact on a lot of people. I also learned quite a bit about people.[/COLOR]

Some people, it seems, wake up in the morning with one goal for the day and that is to make as many people as they can feel as miserable as they do. These type people, for whatever reason, are just plain unhappy. They tend to take out the frustration of their miserable exsistance on anyone that crosses their path. It's really easy for these people to do this over the phone because they do not have to face the person they are being pathetic with. Same holds true for the internet.

Where we run into problems is when you have someone that is being paid (or volunteers) to deal with these type people......but are deep inside...... miserable themselves. I have seen it time-and-time again and it is a lose-lose proposition. The problem is componded when this personality type has authority.

I guess what I'm getting at is this: Some people are just not cut out to interact in a positive, friendly way with other people. They do not belong in a "customer service" environment. I have had to fire some very good people.....people that I personally liked a lot.....just because they could not handle the power they held over people they were there to help.

Power corrupts. Power in the hands of a miserable person....is deadly.