Logan: Standing Up To NTs At Work

(photo: tim_d)

Guest blogger Logan Williams, a network engineer for the city of Raleigh, has some excellent insights on dealing with AS in the workplace.  His self-assured approach has boosted my confidence in many situations, so I’ve asked him to share some tips here.

Let me start off by thanking AspieTeach for inviting me to write this guest post.

Working with NTs is a big challenge, but ultimately a very rewarding experience if done successfully. I work for a local level government, which is a more conservative working environment than most. This provides me with both the job stability that makes me comfortable devoting my time to the tasks I am assigned, and a relatively conservative working environment that can frustrate and confound me at times. As a network engineer in a rapidly changing enterprise infrastructure, a good deal of my time is spent in meetings with coworkers, bosses, and representatives from our other departments. I’m sure I dont need to explain the numerous problems I have with being in a small room with a bunch of sometimes loud and adamant NTs.

The most challenging are the ones who have spoken with an industry representative and gotten sold on a “best practice” that conflicts with our existing set. Most of the time, I have my boss at my back, who is responsible for the best practices we use, and shields me. When I don’t, It is easy to feel cornered even by a single other person, and even easier to get backed against the wall by multiple people who’re all on the same page. How then, do I deal with that situation?

The best way, I have found, is to take a step forward, close my eyes for just a second, breath out, and then put my foot down. As nervous as the situation makes me, NTs will only continue to push me against the wall until I ether cave to their desires, thereby wreaking havoc on the network infrastructure, or I push back and firmly assert our network standard practices as the absolute last word on the subject.

It’s easy to feel cornered or trapped when confronted by one or more NTs, but in the long run, you cant let them run over you, and you cant let them freak you out. It can be a difficult proposition to overcome the anxiety, and not every coping mechanism works for everyone. However, if you can do it, working with NTs will become the most rewarding part of your professional life. Well, besides payday!

Thank you so much for the post, and we look forward to reading about more of your adventures in the workplace and how you adapt!