My name is Ponleu Pech, and I am doing my intern at Srongae & Lvea, located in the Prey Chhor district, Kampong Cham Province.

One day, I was tasked with investigating why some clean water users were showing zero usage on their meters, which suggested they weren’t using any water at all. During the investigation, a staff member and I discovered that one customer had tampered with their water meter to prevent it from registering their water usage. We confronted the customer about the issue, explaining the regulations that required a fine of $250 for tampering with the meter.

Despite our efforts to address the situation, the customer continued to deny any wrongdoing. The conversation grew increasingly tense, so we decided to escalate the matter to our General Manager (GM). When the GM arrived, he approached the situation with remarkable calmness. He expressed that, at this stage in life, he values peace and prefers to avoid unnecessary conflict, such as involving the police. He explained to the customer that admitting to the mistake would allow us to resolve the issue amicably.

However, if they continued to deny it, involving law enforcement would be our only option. After some reflection, the customer admitted to the tampering and agreed to follow the solution proposed by the GM. This experience taught me a valuable lesson: sometimes, even the most complex problems can be solved without putting tensions.

By staying calm and approaching situations with understanding and compassion, we can often find better solutions. And one more thing, shows me that power of calmness is potentially solve the problem and allow the other people to feel less threatened and more open to admitting their mistake.

This already considers one more thing that could be learned is strategic problem- solving. Rather than escalating the conflict, the GM used a strategic to approach and present the customer with a choice that encourage them to take responsibility voluntarily. This method not only resolved the issue but also preserved the customer relationship.