“You’re Sitting in Our Seats!”
July 16, 2009
A negative situation at the US Open teaches us how to effectively deal with people and issues instead of just dwelling on the problems.
I am constantly amazed at the number of people who, when faced with a difficult situation, will dwell on the problem instead of working towards a solution.
After years of playing tennis and watching it on TV, my wife and I finally decided to attend the US Open in New York City.
At the US Tennis Center, where the tournament was held, there are three main stadiums. Arthur Ashe is the largest and is entirely reserved seating. The Louis Armstrong and Grandstand stadiums are primarily general admission with first-come, first-served seating.
We arrived at the tennis center at around 11:30 on Sunday morning and watched a few matches on some of the smaller peripheral courts. We then proceeded to Louis Armstrong stadium where we planned to spend the rest of the day watching some top-seeded matches.
Unfortunately, the stadium was nearly full, and we had to search to find two seats together. Just as we located two seats, it began raining. Actually pouring would be a better description. As people began to leave the stadium to get out of the rain, we opened our umbrellas and decided to tough it out and use the opportunity to find better seats.
We found a group of four excellent seats about 15 rows back from the end of the court. We asked the people next to these seats if they were holding them for anyone. They said they weren’t, but someone had left two lunchboxes on the ground. No one knew whom they belonged to or if the people were coming back. And since there were four seats available and only two lunchboxes, we took two of the seats and left the other two for whoever had left the lunchboxes behind.
After about 30 minutes of torrential downpour, the rain finally subsided and then stopped. We were well soaked, but at least we had good seats to view the upcoming matches.
As the grounds crew began to prepare the court for play, a man approached us and informed us that we were sitting in his seats. “What do you mean?” we asked. “These are our four seats,” he answered, “we left our lunchboxes to hold them.”
We politely expressed our apologies but explained that the stadium was general admission and we had sat through a soaking rain so that we could sit in these seats. This was our first US Open and we had come all the way from North Carolina to see it.
Instead of taking a diplomatic approach or simply finding other seats, he started ranting and raving. He yelled and screamed. He even tried to make us feel guilty, explaining how we had taken his kid’s seats.
Unfortunately, for him, he didn’t realize how his approach would affect my wife. She calmly but forcefully stated that there was no way we were leaving the seats. When he persisted, she finally told him, “Please don’t talk to me anymore about it.”
We couldn’t believe it. Rather than take the opportunity to find other seats for his group, when there were still good seats available, or politely ask if we could move so that his group could sit together, he tried to badger us into leaving. He chose to focus on the unfairness of his situation rather than look for an alternative that would benefit both parties.
In situations such as this, things frequently don’t go the way you expect them to, despite your best efforts. The difference lies in how you deal with these situations. The next time you are faced with a challenge, try to find a positive solution rather than dwelling indefinitely on the problem. Remember, the ball is in your court!
Comments
Got something to say?
