[Sound Waves Picture]
Thursday night at my mothers house, the Visiting Nurse Association called to say mom’s paperwork had been received and to tell us an intake nurse would call the next morning between 8 – 9:00.
I was grateful to know when the call would happen, and rearranged my schedule to make sure I would be available. The next day, when 8:00, and 9:00…then 10:00 rolled around, with no incoming phone call in sight, my gratitude vanished. The call finally came through many hours later. Replete with no apology.
The next night I was back home. A maintenance man called in response to my voicemail about the air conditioning not working. When he said “I’ll be by at 9:00 tomorrow morning to take a look,” I was grateful for the quick turnaround. The next morning I was just about to step into the shower to be ready for the arrival at 9:00. I heard the knocking at the door. It was 8:20. Again my gratitude vanished.
Was I being unreasonable? After all, these weren’t unusual examples!
Hey, we all screw up. We all sometimes forget things. We drop balls. Occasional human error is a fact and not a weakness. How can we avoid and/or make up for human error? Communication.
It takes so little to acknowledge a mistake. It takes so little to apologize. Admitting a mistake and apologizing can even strengthen a relationship. It offers an opportunity for both sides to show their humanity.
My mentor puts it this way: communication is consideration — and I am grateful for both!
Until next time
This blog is originally published in Marilee's newsletter.
Subscribe to receive these articles and more.
Posted in Speaking of Strategy
