The Year of Choosing Me- Part 11

You can run, but you cannot hide. There are times when you need to put your big girl/boy pants on and face an unpleasant situation.

I attended a networking lunch this past week, which started with a bang and went downhill quickly from there. The manager welcomed us and introduced himself after the 50 plus attendees were seated. He then offered us a complimentary gift for our next visit. That’s all good, right?

The problem was that the lunch was terrible. I’m not talking about how the food tasted. I’m referring to the fact the service was incredibly (saying that nicely!) slow. It took over 45 minutes for us to get our first course of food, and the rest continued to come out as slow as a snail.

Understand that we’re attending during our lunchtime and have work appointments afterward. We were starving, and finally, I asked (or maybe “begged”) the waiter for bread which he thankfully found some for us. Part of choosing me is standing up and asking for what I want.

Here’s where the biggest problem was. The manager didn’t come out at any point to apologize, and the wait staff of 1 was missing. Finally, one of the coordinators made an announcement 45 minutes in as some of the attendees had already left.

Silence isn’t always golden.

The manager had the opportunity to turn the situation around. He could have communicated to us. He could have had the staff bring us out fresh drinks or given us gift cards or something. Instead, he was nowhere to be found. We figured he was hiding from our group of hungry women 🙂 The coordinators also could have taken the rein and been more forthcoming with information.

We’ve all experienced problems in our lives.

Perhaps, you’ve experienced your flight being delayed due to a mechanical issue of the aircraft?

Or, there’s a problem with your order and you didn’t receive what you expected?

These type of situations happens time and time again. How it’s handled on the other side is everything.

What separates successful people from unsuccessful people is how they communicate.

It doesn’t mean that they never have issues; they’re not afraid to face the issue head-on. They apologize, move forward, and do their best to solve the situation making the customer happy. It can be an opportunity to create a “raving fan” (and I’ve seen that happen and personally been delighted many times!)

Personally, for me, when I’m on that side, sometimes I know exactly what to do, other times, I need help from my coach, friends or family members to figure out the right action to take. I’ve learned not to run away from the situation as it isn’t how I want to show up in my life.

So, next time you’ve got a problem where you can’t meet a deadline, there’s a technical problem, or a glitch, remember to communicate with the person on the other side. Even if you don’t know the correct solution, perhaps, you and the other person can create one together.

Stop hiding.

It just makes you look small. In this day and age, we know how to find you. Admit there was a screw up (or you screwed up). Put on your big girl/boy pants. Show up, apologize, and find a solution. Make the situation right.

Boom!

Now, it’s your opportunity to become a hero(ine). That’s coming from a place of power!

Choose you,