Editors Note: Today’s post comes to us from the lovely Heather Craik all the way from Edinburgh, Scotland. She is quite the prolific writer and apparently a good ranter as well. Stop by her site at shadesofadream.com and show her some appreciation via traffic and comments! Now: onto the rant!
Have you ever been in one of those situations where, after being off ill for a week, you return and instantly get blind-sided?
Further, let’s say you have a meeting the day you get back where you have to present your ideas on something. Heck, let’s pretend you’ve even had the idea worked out for weeks in advance.
Here’s the funny thing about being ill and not having anything to do for a week; you start to wonder if that idea you have is really such a good idea after all. Can you complete it on time? Is it too ambitious? Wouldn’t it be better if you just scaled it back a bit and polished more?
In a moment of un-cootishness I decided to bow to the little voice
Bad move. It seems to encourage people to think you’re not putting enough effort in. You know, and to compare you to people you’d normally far surpass unfavourably.
However, my rant today isn’t about my not being prepared fully (its my own fault for switching designs at the last minute), or even about being off ill for a week. Nor is it about incorrect- well, actually it IS about incorrect assumptions. Just not from tutor/boss/person you’re presenting too that should really know better.
Communication
See the thing that really showed me up was the fact that everyone else had something to present on the screen, while I was still assuming that we were all going to use sketches. Normally I’d have gone ahead and made the jump to computer anyway, but with the situation being what it was I didn’t have the time. En fin.
However.
If anyone else in class had been off ill I would have contacted them to keep them in the loop at least once, usually the day before they’re due back. It’s only courtesy after all, and no one likes to be caught with their pants down in public (unless that’s your thing of course). In fact, if we want to get really technical I spoke to every one of them in the time I was away; no mention of any changes of plan.
I really don’t like being made to look bad.
Ill or not I could have made the time to get something mocked up, had I been aware of the need. It takes less than five minutes (actually, less than one if you do it right) to pass on a piece of pertinent information. Sometimes it’ll even save them 10 minutes of uncharacteristic ridicule. Imagine that.
Oh, and the part I really hate in all this?
I had to grin and bear it like a champ. Two reasons; my ‘excuse’ would have been that I didn’t get the time needed because I was ill and had no access to the resources (which, as it happens, is true), and the person doing the talking has the power to fail me. At any point someone else could have said something to diffuse the situation.
Taking one for the team, bitch style. Thanks guys.
Thanks again for the post Heather. If you are reading this share it with the world via linked in, stumble upon, digg, facebook or Twitter! The comment section is open and waiting for you…
Heather,
I guess the ‘Old Coot’ response is that it is your youth and inexperience showing. Naturally somebody (and probably everybody) will be out to look good at your expense. There is no way to win when your team lets you down.
And your team will let you down at any given moment if it furthers their own ends. You have to take a strong stance toward intolerance of such self serving attitudes.
Actually the funny thing was the next day they all tried to play the innocent ‘oh, you were ill?’ card. I was less than impressed.
I suppose by now I should be used to the whole ‘team betrayal’ idea (far from the first time its happened, just the first time with that particular class) but silly me, I revert to having faith in people.
Heather,
You can have faith in people – faith in their interest in taking care of themselves first.
True. Very True.
Eh, balance was restored the next day anyway of course. Just a bit of a nuisance!
Actually, I DO have faith in people, just not ALL people. I’d never put any faith in a group that was forced on me…and school class members are not your choice, they’re forced.
On the other hand I put great faith in groups I choose to be a part of. My church, my social organizations, my professional associations, my political compatriots…all are my choice, chosen based on MY judgment. If they let me down it’s my fault, not theirs. My judgment failed me and I joined a flawed group.