Windridge eNews
July 2007
"Sense shines with a double luster when it is set in humility. An able yet humble man is a jewel worth a kingdom" William Penn
Perspective: Sometimes you have it - other times you don’t....
A few weeks ago I read an incident that made me laugh out loud because, yes, I have called bank tellers to let them know that the bank (and in my frustration they personally) have obviously and incorrectly made a critical mistake and mis-charged me - how dare them!
Has anyone else ever done this? Keeping one’s perspective and humor in times of mistakes and misunderstandings is critical; take for example this story from Alan Weiss….
“My wife and I went to a very popular Polynesian restaurant that did not take reservations. We checked our coats, took a ticket for our place on the seating list, and repaired to the bar for a Mai Tai. My number was 93, and I noticed that it was taking far longer than usual. But at least I wasn't the fool holding number 48, who wasn't around when they kept calling that number. I couldn't wait to see his face when he returned from wherever he went, having missed his place in line.
Finally, after more than an hour, they called 93. When we arrived at the manager's station, he said he had just seated number 93. Angrily, I showed him my ticket, telling him that someone had stolen our place.
"That is your coat check ticket," he pointed out. I reached into my pocket desperately searching and found, you guessed it, seating ticket number 48.
We became number 93.5, and he seated us out of pity, as the super-polite Asian hostesses kept their eyes averted.
"Who knows what coats we'll get," muttered my wife as we made our way to the table.”
Have you ever jumped to conclusions, only to find that it was you who was misinformed or incorrect? And more importantly, what do you do when this happens?
If the incident is someone you work with or a loved one, the best way to correct such outbursts is to ‘own’ your mistake and apologize. Yes, the words are: “I am so sorry”, “I totally misread”, “misunderstood”, or any ‘misses’ will do. The point is you are acknowledging your incorrect assumption and freeing the other person to move past your brief outburst and get on with their work, or life.
In the workplace this ownership or taking responsibility has a very real and measurable impact on people’s productivity and performance. Think about it; do you work well when someone has leveled their incorrect frustrations at you and then not apologized for them? Maybe they ‘assumed’ that you understood how bad or dumb they felt about overreacting, but the reality is, you are still hurt and fuming now yourself and it is taking up a lot of your precious mental capacity. Neither you nor anyone else can be as productive when unspoken apologies need to be made.
Make them now... do not put them off. This is critical both in the workplace and in your personal life. Why keep extra baggage around?
Did you know that the words ‘humor’ and ‘humility’ share similar Latin root meanings? This makes one wonder if humility is the very place where we are not to take ourselves so seriously. When you apologize to another, a good sense of humor and humility toward your foibles will soften the offense and be a huge asset. People are much more willing to extend forgiveness when apologies are sincerely given.
And that is all for this month’s Windridge Newsletter... it’s summertime and the livin’ is easy. Enjoy these golden days, and please keep yourself current with those you work and share your life with.
Enjoy!
Lindsay
Windridge Consulting
425-697-2700