$#!T Happens
My phone rings an hour ahead of a scheduled weekly meeting for which my colleague endures a regular 45-minute commute. His alarm had failed to go off, and he was, therefore, unable to make the appointment on time. No biggie – see you next week. I get a free hour to catch up on stuff I would otherwise have tackled after the meeting.
Character Flaw
An extraordinarily talented teammate who had previously been excused from the team due to chronic unreliability had been invited to rejoin the group after a renewed promise of dependability. The larger team was ambivalent about the invitation to rejoin, citing that zebras don’t change their stripes. Despite a courtesy confirmation earlier in the day, the zebra didn’t change his stripes. The no-show was predictable.
Rude
The networking meeting was scheduled at the request and convenience of my colleague, who was seeking to grow his business. “Hey, can I pick your brain in exchange for a cup of coffee?” It had the aroma of a request for a free coaching session. I received a text confirmation fifteen minutes before departing for a 35-minute trip to my client’s neighborhood. Arriving 10 minutes early, as would be the etiquette, I ordered coffee and – as it was being poured – received the apology call that something had come up.
Relationship wellness is a core component of overall health. Everything counts, whether it strengthens or weakens the connection. Tolerate the humanness of sleeping through an alarm with a chuckle. It happens to everyone. Do the risk-benefit analysis on the immensely talented teammate with the character flaw. How many blow-offs are allowed? Eject rude people from your circle. They take way more than they give.
Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, right? How do you choose to exchange your energy?