Ryan's Weekly Tip for Homeless, Mentally Ill and Addicted Patrons, 3-27-18

From Ryan Dowd, 10:03 AM:

When Michael Jordan got mad at the opposing team, did he ever throw the ball at them (dodge-ball style)? Nope.  Never.  Why not? Because that isn’t how you win games.  Throwing the ball at the other team might have been emotionally satisfying for Michael, but it would not have helped the Bulls win.  The goal is to win; not to get the emotional satisfaction of dodgeball. You need to “be like Mike” with problematic behavior.  You need to know your goal. Your goal—your ONLY goal for difficult behavior—is to get the person to follow the rules.  That’s it.  It really is that simple.  Here are some examples: Getting a person to stop shouting Getting a person to stop staring at another individual Getting a person to leave at closing time Staff members have all sorts of other goals that have nothing to do with gaining compliance with the rules.  For example: Getting a person to respect you (or to respect your organization) Defending your coworker’s honor (or your own) Teaching a person “a thing or two” Getting a person to feel sorry for his actions Trying to accomplish any of the above is like Michael Jordan throwing the ball at the other team, dodgeball-style:  it might be emotionally satisfying, but it is not the goal and it will create problems for your team. The common theme with bad goals is that they are usually more about your own emotional needs than about the patron’s behavior. The key is to remember that it is all about problematic behavior.  You care what a person DOES.  You don’t care what a person THINKS.  If someone thinks you are a jerk but follows the rules, who cares?  As long as a person follows the rules, allow him to think whatever he wants! Have a great week! Peace,  Ryan www.homelesslibrary.com