After my last post regarding the incident in the ladies locker room at the gym, I decided to take a look back at another similar incident that happened a few years back. What do you when . . .
On my way home one night I stopped by a client’s office to drop off some paperwork. The lady I needed to see was having a conversation with one of her colleagues in his office. As I was headed towards her office, I literally bumped into her as she stepped out into the hall on my way by. Because I was in a hurry to get home, I quickly acknowledged her, handed her the paperwork, and left.
Looking back on the incident, I realized I should’ve introduced myself to the person she was talking to. Not only was it rude not to, but I also missed an opportunity. The person she was chatting with could’ve been another potential client down the road.
Which got me thinking about missed opportunities. What do I mean? How do you define a missed opportunity?
Many times when we are in a hurry, we don’t see something that’s right in front of us (an opportunity to introduce ourselves, for example). We are too busy trying to get where we are going, or running late, etc. This is especially true today, given our fast-paced and busy lives.
Another sign to look for is something that makes you feel uncomfortable. When you’re in such a situation, take a moment to look around, and ask yourself “Is there anything here that I am missing?” Slow down, pay attention to your feelings, observe the situation objectively, and figure out what you can do to take advantage of the situation or turn it around.
Regarding the above incident, my “good girl” mentality (which I thought I had long since shed), had kicked in. For women who were raised to be considerate, genteel, Southern Belle-types (you know who you are!), this ingrained behavior is extremely difficult to change. At the time, I thought I was being considerate by not interrupting their conversation. I thought I would not “bother” her and try to take as little of her time as possible, since she was obviously doing something else when I stopped by.
Today I would not have handled the situation the same way (as evidenced by my locker room encounter). Looking back, I could probably have determined, from the brief interaction before I saw her, that she and her colleague were having a casual conversation that wasn’t really work related. By gauging the circumstances beforehand, what I should have done is said hello to her, introduced myself to the person she was talking to, paused to chat for a few moments, then handed her the paperwork with a brief explanation, said “nice to meet you” and left. If I had handled the situation this way instead, I would’ve been working from a position of confidence, rather than the meek/weak position portrayed above.
Learn to look for and take advantage of opportunities. This is an acquired skill, and may take some time to develop, but I have learned firsthand how valuable and worthwhile it is to do so.
Now I ask you:
Is the person in the ladies locker room the same person in this article?
What would you have done?
Which handling and/or outcome of the situation do you prefer? (Today’s or yesterday’s?)
