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“Hard Target” or “Soft Target”
...Which one are you? |
| “Those that wreck you and those that destroy you come forth from thee” |
| (Isaiah 49:17...a 2,800 year old jewish prophecy) |
| I am sure everyone has heard these two phrases, “hard target” and “soft target”, in the media, usually referring to war or terrorism. These two terms may also relate to how we are viewed by others or how we view ourselves. The great fighter Muhammad Ali might say “bob and weave, duck and move, stay pretty and don’t get your face messed up by your opponent”; there are things we can do to make ourselves a “hard target”. Remember, an opponent may detect our vulnerabilities before we detect vulnerabilities in ourselves. |
| The question is how do we mold ourselves into a “hard target”? |
| 1.) |
Choose your everyday battles wisely; don’t waste your time fighting the small inconsequential battles when you should be saving your strength to fight the war. What war? The war of life, health, family, job, and spirituality. |
| Don’t be a hamster on a treadmill that is frantically going nowhere. |
| 2.) |
Watch your perception of others and their motives. Do not make preconceived judgments of others before getting all the facts. |
| 3.) |
Be true to yourself. Keep all documentation given to you by your manager during your performance year. Make your manager aware of anything you do; ask your manager to place this information in your employee file. Do not assume your manager knows everything you do. When it comes time for your evaluation and you feel it is not a fair assessment, you can then pull all the information together that should have been relied upon for the completion of your evaluation. With this information, our NTEU representatives will work hard on your behalf and be able to do a great job. NTEU representatives are not magicians; they cannot pull a rabbit out of a hat. They can, however, help those who help themselves. If management asks for proof of anything, whether it be documentation for an evaluation or other issue that may arise, try to be prepared to furnish what is required in order to help NTEU help you. Remember: DOCUMENTATION, DOCUMENTATION, and DOCUMENTATION... |
| 4.) |
Know your code of conduct and adhere to it. This shields you from problems in this area. I think there may be more terminations and negative information placed in employee files due to code of conduct violations than work performance violations. Hold yourself and your ethics to the highest standard. |
| 5.) |
Stay united with your fellow NTEU members and co-workers; try to look at situations from the other person’s viewpoint. My fifth grade teacher plunked a very large book down on my desk at school one day. My teacher told me to read it and make a book report in one month. The title of the book was “The Gallic Wars”, written by the great politician and military strategist of the Roman Empire, Julius Caesar. I read the book, became interested in the great Roman Empire and the military tactics they invented to conquer most of the known world. I later studied the Latin language for four years and was truly in awe of this culture. Guess what their strategy was for conquering other lands and peoples? Well, you probably already know it was the “Divide and Conquer” tactic used today by military armies and others who want to control and subdue someone else. The lesson to remember is not to be divided; the lesson to remember is not to be divided, because once this happens there is a good chance you will also be conquered. |
| Remember, you know yourself better than anyone else, so make yourself into a “hard target”. |
| Use your own best judgment on how to do this by either using some of my suggestions, or use your own, but just do it. |
| -- Brenda |
| 11/12/2005 |
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If you would like to “Speak Out!”, email us at Brenda.S.Fox@irs.gov or nteu9@earthlink.net.
Please sign your document with your first name only. |
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