|
While_Youre_Waiting
| While Youre Waiting
Not long ago, I made a partnership pitch, on behalf of an
organization I represent, to another organization with similar
interests. If the idea had come to fruition, it would have
radically changed our organization.
So, you can imagine my impatience when I didn't hear back from
the person to whom I'd made the proposal. She had welcomed the
idea, but told me the decision would be made by a council within
her organization.
Given the dynamics of an important decision about the future of
their organization, I didn't expect a quick response. But, I
would have liked at least an update advising me on the status of
their considerations.
Then, I had a "Eureka," or maybe I should call it a "Whoops,"
moment. I realized I hadn't reported back to the people in my
organization either. That made me guilty of the same lapse of
communication as the lady in the other organization. With that
recognition, I made amends by sending out an email to my
organization, and followed up with a report at a meeting.
In taking an analytical view of this incident, I realized that
nothing can be something when it comes to communication.
The idea that nothing can be something seems counter-intuitive.
But remember the famous Sherlock Holmes observation about the
dog that didn't bark; the fictitious detective solved a baffling
case by noting what did not happen, rather than what did happen.
You can probably come up with several ideas about the importance
of communicating even though nothing has changed. That's
especially true if you're the one who didn't hear from someone
else.
First, you may have made plans that assume either a change in or
a continuation of the status quo. Perhaps you're holding off on
holiday plans until the issue is resolved one way or the other.
Second, at least you know that an anticipated decision or event
hasn't yet occurred, and that you didn't miss something (for
example, as I write this I'm waiting for a client to confirm
some information and it would be nice to know that I haven't
missed a callback or an emailed reply).
Third, if you've received an update telling you nothing has
happened, you don't need to contact that person and ask if there
have been any developments. Similarly, you can advise the people
who look to you for information.
One other note about the 'nothing can be something' idea: It's a
variation on what I've called the Everybody Knows syndrome. That
refers to a failure to communicate, based on the assumption that
others know what I know.
In summary, it's a good idea to report regularly, even if
nothing has happened, since others may not know you're still
waiting as well.
About the author:
Robert F. Abbott writes and publishes Abbott's Communication
Letter. If you subscribe, you will receive, at no charge,
communication tips that help you lead or manage more
effectively. You can get more information here:
http://www.CommunicationNewsletter.com
|
|
| |
| |
