I was exchanging emails with a colleague recently about her recent split. She is fabulous. She said “he’s an idiot” and we friends all agree.
That’s not the point. That’s not the point in business either.
We do mean well, we do listen to clients, we do try our best to find solutions, and we do try to work well together. That may not be enough.
My dad once said – and it was a defining moment – "life ain’t fair, get over it". Not warm welcoming wisdom you’d expect from a father. Dads are supposed to protect you and tell you you’re great and that you’ll be an astronaut some day. Well, no that would be cruel.
We have all made the mistake – in business and in life – to assume everyone in a given situation is looking out of the same pair of eyes, with the same lens of experience and expectation. That couldn’t be further from any truth.
Contracts are not just those things we sign when we’re doing a business deal – they are those emotional agreements we make with ourselves and often with others. The difference with others is, we rarely let the other side know.
The reason road rage occurs is simply because one driver is unaware that the other wants the lane or is late for the meeting. We make contracts with the world every day and every day the world disappoints us.
Communication is an interesting thing – it works best when you are clear and concise and sometimes that requires dealing with the icky stuff and the tough stuff. That includes communication with you.
So do your best, communicate more, expect less of others, expect more of yourself and most of all – be fabulous.
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