CYA – Survival Among Enemies
On a recent project, it became apparent almost instantly that the parties involved in helping me complete the assignment were warring factions. In one case, there was an email accusation that slashed away mercilessly at the information given to me by the other contributing party. Oy. And vey.
What to do in a situation where your “bosses” can’t agree? In this case, it was an easy decision. There was a third party – a project coordinator who is responsible for getting everyone on the same page and my main go-to person for all questions regarding the project. Amen. I sent off a note asking how I should proceed. I have relaxed momentarily. Since it’s a vacation week for some, I probably won’t get a response this week.
I can honestly say this is a new one for me. While I’ve had my fair share of conflicts with clients not liking me for some reason or another (we cannot be all things to all people), I have never faced a situation where the client parties were so obviously on opposite sides. While I’d love to herd the cats and make everyone happy, I recognize the futility of it. I’m a freelance professional, not a counselor. I have no idea the motivations or the histories of these people. If something needs fixing beyond the project, I’m not the one to do it.
You? How have you/would you handle a similar situation? Feel free to leave your comments. I relish a good discussion!
I’m not as kind or diplomatic as you are.
When I’ve been in that situation, I’ve pulled the warring parties in the room, told them bluntly that their personal conflicts are NOT my problem, I’m not a referee, and they are to get on the SAME page BEFORE contacting me, and that I’m adding aggrevation pay into the billing. Every time I get conflicting information, I charge an extra $100.
You’d be surprised how quickly they fall into step, especially when they have to justify their budget to highers up.
Well, as a freelance professional you actually ARE a counselor, in many ways! I’ve had this situation happen before and, as Devon said, the first step should be to gather everyone in the same room.
People need to be held accountable for their communication, and often the infighting and conflicts will lessen if they have to do it in front of a third party (as opposed to using the third party as a medium).
I like the idea of aggrevation fees, too!
Oh ladies, if it were that easy! The warring factions are in separate cities hundreds of miles apart. In this case, I’m letting THEM deal with it. I will not get in the middle of personal squabbles. The one did bring up his grave concerns regarding the content. He coupled it with his complaints that were thinly veiled digs at his counterpart, but I ignored that part. My job is ONLY content, not babysitting!
Actually had that happen, once. At the next meeting, I handed them a form with a request they put the name of the “final say” person at the top and then sign their names at the bottom. That person would be responsible for all work given to me and any problems would have to be resolved by them.
In addition,I would be paid for the completed project and one light editing, only (typos, missed punctuation, etc.). Anything else, was full pay, again, for the project.
If they had a problem making a “final say” choice, that was their problem not mine, but I refused to serve 2, 3, or, 4, masters!
elljay, that’s a fantastic idea! I’m going to remember that should this ever arise again. Thank you!