| Don't Argue with a Crying Baby by T.J. Sullivan It's really hard to deal with someone who is angry. Do you ever wonder how in the world airline customer service representatives do it all day, every day? It's terribly difficult to have a reasonable conversation with someone when they enter the discussion angry.
In your role as a student leader, there will be times when you have to deal with an angry member or constituent. These conversations are hard. They might push your emotional buttons, and they can make you feel defensive and unappreciated. Nonetheless, it's an inescapable part of being a leader.
Some people draw on a reserve on inner strength. Maybe some turn to their spiritual side. When I'm dealing with an irrational person injecting their crazy in my day, I think of one phrase: "Don't argue with a crying baby."
Imagine yourself as the parent of a newborn. If your baby is crying loudly, it doesn't help for you to get angry and raise your voice. It doesn't help to argue your side with a crying baby – she can't understand you. When your baby is crying, you can't pack your stuff up and leave it for someone else. You can't text your friends about how annoying your baby is, hoping that they will come over and soothe it.
When your baby cries, you do what you can to solve the immediate cause of the crying, and then you rock it, sing to it, or simply hold it until it calms down. And, it might take a while.
Like a crying baby, an angry member needs to be tended. There's nothing fair about it, and ignoring it is both unethical and counterproductive. Although it's one of the most draining tasks of student leadership, learning to soothe an angry constituent and moving these relationships to a less charged status can yield positive results beyond the initial dysfunction.
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