This past week, I heard a few phrases that made me cringe. Here’s my countdown…
#3. Be brutally honest with me. When people ask for feedback with a preamble, to ‘be brutally honest’ with them, I often perceive that is the exact opposite. They are fearful of our response, so they think we’ll soften it if they appear open to criticism. It’s one of many psychological tricks to get to you to do the opposite, same as “does this make me look fat?”
In the scenario this week, I was asked to be brutally honest with a person I was meeting for the first time. It’s a little challenging to offer that kind of feedback upon meeting someone. I’m just trying to get to know you, let alone give you ‘loins on the table’ feedback on your life outlook. #justsaying
#2. It’s not personal. Sure, nothing in life is personal. It just affects us – personally. Unless you’re a cyborg, any action invokes a reaction – a feeling. We are human beings, which means detrimental outcomes sting.
I was feeling that sting with a client who did not see eye to eye with our request to increase our pricing to match the continual increase in the scope of our work. I didn’t expect the brash response. I am certain it was not a personal attack, but it was personally felt, so telling me it’s not personal, doesn’t make me feel better.
#1.It’s a holiday weekend, so… (fill in the blank). You can finish this sentence to make an exception for just about anything. While long weekends are historically indicative of extra leisure, they often cause inconveniences for both modern society – increased traffic, long lines, and overcrowded venues – and for small businesses – rescheduled appointments, delayed response times, and lack of support staff.
It’s one thing when a holiday weekend is three days, but four? The end result is lost productivity for nearly a week because most people need buffer and catch-up days, as well. We’ve had to move up calls, delay commitments from prospective customers, and cut our time short on projects because of the holiday weekend.
I’m grateful for the extra time with my husband and my family, but holiday weekends can be a double-edged sword when you’re trying to make things happen!
What phrase(s) get under your skin?
It is just a simple......... (in my case ...a simple alteration)
Mine is "I'm sorry, we are a bit short-handed today." I generally reply with "here is my phone number, please call me when you are long-handed." You may have guessed that I never receive that phone call.
Thanks for the conversation Rachel.
Glad I'm not alone. You could fill a book with excuses!