EGG on MY FACE!
This past week, I walked into a former client's jewelry store. John was born in the area and has spent his entire life in town; truly a local business He contacted me when he was ready to expand his store and I helped him find a larger more upscale location. I have known John about 8 years now and I stop in to see him about once a month.
Whenever I come by, we take a moment to talk about business, then he always has a story to tell me about current events in town or about the growth and changes in the area, during his 40+ years. By comparison, I'm the newcomer with 32 years in town. Quite often he has a long time friend in the store that I get to meet. For me, John is a great source of local knowledge, both past and present. His store has also been a great place to network.
Whenever I stop in, I always see John dressed comfortably in a neat sports shirt. This day, he was wearing a tie and my first comment was, "What are you doing ... trying to change the image of your store by wearing a tie? "With a smile on my face, proud of my humorous introduction, I heard John respond, "Do you remember Joe Campbell? He died and I was at his funeral today." To my utter embarrassment, I had nothing to say except I'm so very sorry. I wish I had a spatula to scrape the egg off my face.
Later, when I was reviewing my embarrassing moment, I needed to know what I had done, what had I missed. John didn't usually wear a tie, the tie was black, the shirt was white and sure ... I was trying to be cute. But in my attempt at cuteness I had made a very bad assumption. I had missed the clues and I had the wrong context. It was the wrong time to be cute.
My lesson:
I have been reminded that I must be observant, aware and respectful; that I must always be aware of where I am, who I am talking to and most importantly ... I cannot just make assumptions and speak off the cuff.
It is so easy to forget the first rule of communicating. I am quite sure I will be saying hello, remembering to ask responsible questions and then shutting up to listen. Only then will I be ready to respond. And then maybe I won't have all that egg on my face.
Fortunately I didn't alienate a friend, a contact, a local information source, an important location to network and an excellent jewler.
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