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Bizarre Behaviors

I am fairly new to this company, and a couple of my associates invited me to play golf. Things went well until I got upset and broke a club and threw it. I knew I was wrong, and I apologized on the spot, but I wrecked the day. Now these guys hardly talk to me. How can I rebuild things?



When you cause items other than golf balls to be flying around the golf course, there is no easy step that can rebuild the damaged relationship with your fellow employees. This was a critical incident that left a lasting impression on anyone who witnessed it, and you are very fortunate that this impression was not from the impact of your club hitting someone.

You were correct in offering an instant apology, but this does not erase what happened, nor does it automatically open the door to rebuild the relationship. You should meet individually with both of these individuals and reemphasize your concern about your behavior and your commitment to never let it happen again. Then let some time go by and keep your on-the-job performance at a stellar level. It will be your behavior, not your words, that can start the rebuilding process.

Since these types of outbursts are rarely isolated events, you should also consider getting some professional help to get at the underlying issues. You need to get a better handle on why you flew off the handle. Your real goal should be to keep your personal behavior above par and your golf game below par, rather than vice versa.




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