Outside your team, are you willing to take a public stand against incivility? You could start calling people on sarcasm during conversations, modeling a respectful communication style. Keep in mind that this may have some risks of offending higher-level people, so you’ll want to be careful how you handle it.
That leads to the big question: How much are you willing to tolerate? Your best solution may end up being an exit strategy so that your departure is under your control, and your focus is on not landing in the same situation again. And that’s a topic for another column.
Look out for yourself while you try to help the organization break its sarcasm habit.
Liz Reyer is a credentialed coach with more than 20 years of business experience. Her company, Reyer Coaching & Consulting, offers services for organizations of all sizes.
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