Unable To Listen To Your Listening Problem

(This happens shortly after our store gets a new store manager. He has a huge problem with not listening. After a few weeks with him, my patience is wearing thin. He notices I’m being somewhat blunt with him and decides we need to have a talk. He calls me into his office after my shift is over but before I’ve clocked out.)

Manager: “I noticed you and I haven’t been getting along very well.”

Me: “I guess.”

Manager: “I want to know why that is. What’s going on?”

Me: “Quite frankly, the problem is that you don’t listen to me. I ask you a question and you give me an answer that doesn’t relate to what I asked. I try to clarify and you give me an answer that’s completely incompatible with the first thing you said. You’ve given me up to five different answers to the same question. Quite frankly, I’m getting tired of having to ask the same question three or four times to get you to answer the question I asked.”

(He nods, looking very thoughtful.)

Manager: “Ah. I see.”

Me: “Hm?”

Manager: “You know, I want us all to be able to work together here. We’re like a family, you know, and it works best when we’re all working together at our best. So I want to make sure that any problems we have are taken care of quickly, so that we can all get along.”

Me: “Oookay…?”

Manager: “So what can I do to help you with your listening problem?”

Me: “Excuse me?”

Manager: “Would it help you if I wrote your instructions down? Would that make it easier for you to listen to me?”

Me: “Yeah. I think we’re done here.”

Manager: “No, I think we can work this out—”

Me: *already leaving* “No, somehow I don’t think so.”

(Fortunately, he was gone in less time than it took me to find a new job. The sad thing is, based on what I knew of him, I don’t think he did that on purpose, to mess with me or cover himself or anything like that. I think he honestly was that confused.)