UGH! When Assumptions Happen to the Best of Us!
This is a full transparency posting here. Read on if you want to discover how my Covid bad habit could have gotten in the way of training on, of all things, COMMUNICATION!
The wheels could have come off quickly, but I took full ownership of the situation and used it in my training to highlight myself and my actions at the center of my lesson.
The situation happened during the planning of a training and team building retreat. I had drafted the agenda with a start time of 8:00 am, sharp, because my client contact had many expectations for his team that day.
The agenda was approved several months prior to the day, and then again via a live, zoom call about ten days before when he and I met for a last-minute review/adjustments. We were in full alignment, as usual, as he has been a repeat client of Authentizity’s for five years.
A few days following our meeting, I received an email from him to his group and copying me. Unbeknownst to me, he had backed our start time to 9:00 am. He stated the reasons for the change as travel for some of the team members, and it was going to be a full day, culminating with that night’s offsite, fun entertainment.
That makes sense – there was a looming problem, however.
I ASSUMED that everything was the same. Why shouldn’t I? He and I had just spoken three days prior to his email. So, I dragged his message to my file folder and went on with my day.
You see where this is going, right? Doom, doom, doom – insert the ominous music…
So, the day of the team building retreat arrives, and I woke up super early that morning to finalize everything in my head and organize last minute details. As I am now readjusting from virtual back to in-person, I had the materials readied far ahead of time just in case of a mistake or complications during printing.
My pre-pandemic good patterns used to include a final confirmation a couple days prior to the retreat. That’s the one that I forgot to do.
Instead, I sent him an email the morning of the event at 6:30 am to confirm my arrival time at their office at 7:20/7:30 am. He replied quickly back to remind me that we wouldn’t be starting until 9:00 am and that their office doesn’t open to the public until 8:00 each morning.
It was then that the reality of the situation hit me, and I realized my error!
I took full responsibility and assured him that all would be well. With his engagement and approval, we worked through lunch and his day had the flexibility for us to extend 30 minutes longer to make up the time. We did all of this without compromising a single element of the program.
In the end, all was well. The client and his team members left happy and fulfilled from a great day.
While I was chicken fried and a bit embarrassed from my assumptions, I walked away with yet another lesson learned. Yes; even after three decades of a career, I am still learning and growing.
AND, I am still working through my Covid bad habits. As I transition back from virtual to in-person, I know that I am not alone in experiencing challenging situations from my communications assumptions and misunderstandings.
I share my story as a way to remind each of us that we should empathize with one another in whatever transitions that we may be evolving to in this unique time of our lives…
Have you experienced a similar situation? Please reach out and share with me at dlandry@authentizity.com.
— Dawn F. Landry
#Ugh
#CommunicationChallenges
#FullTransparency
#NoAssumptions
#AssofUandMe
#authentizity
#dawnflandry
#businessdevelopment
#bd
#bdcoaching
#bdtraining
#bddynamics
#doerseller
#sellerdoer
