For Jane (for illustration purposes only) her relationship with a certain colleague at work started off on a totally wrong footing. For some time, it felt as though the relationship was steadily plummeting from bad to worse. Nothing Jane said or did was ever good enough for her colleague. The fact that Jane was subordinate added to Jane’s woes and gave her stomach an uncomfortable turn each time she had to interact at that level.

The only way Jane could bring sobriety to the relationship was to assert herself through her loyalty to ethics, integrity and best practice principles.

Almost every interaction was acrimonious for months until Jane’s perseverance, respect, resilience and sense of propriety began to pay off. Sobriety and trust began to define their relationship and peace began to reign.

One random day, Jane bumped an old acquaintance and after pleasantries, Jane was shocked with what she heard. Very positive words about her having been conveyed to her acquaintance by none other than her work colleague with whom she had run ins until they worked things out! Well, what do you know, right?

Jane was lost for words but quickly composed herself as she acknowledged the compliments and they said their goodbyes.

Stakeholder engagement and relationship management can sometimes take a while to level out and actors must have the patience and commitment to make it work.