I’ve been in two very uncomfortable situations recently. And although they both have worked out in the end, there were very difficult and tense moments in the middle – tempers were stretched, tears threatened, and there were moments of tottering on the fine line irreversible harm. Both situations could have been avoided, if only I had created a better opportunity for communication early on.
It’s not appropriate to go into the details of either situation, but the one that had the potential for the most damage was a misunderstanding of the intent of communications, enhanced because the parties involved had never met. Had I created an opportunity, early on, to create a face-to-face meeting of all the individuals involved, I truly believe the entire uncomfortable situation would never have happened. There were plenty of times I thought about creating such an occasion, but inertia and distractions got in my way. So now rather than some delightful additions to my circle, there is a bitter taste in the mouth of one and a time of healing for all of us.
Truly, an opportunity lost. Almost. And I say almost because I have confidence in all the parties involved that
(a) we will move beyond and above this
(b) we will all be more sensitive to how our words may be interpreted
(c) we will make early efforts for face to face engagements
and
(d) this is a lesson that we won’t ever forget – and therefore will never repeat
I have this confidence because I know (and have just been reminded) that thoughtful communications and personal relationships make all the difference in understanding each other. In our personal lives and our business lives.
- Maggi
