After I started my firm, I got a call from someone in transition who wanted to network. I immediately recognized their name, as they had been pretty much a jackass to me when I reached out to them in my transition.
This person missed two meetings, though since they offered, we did connect by phone. On the call, they were typing so loud that I thought the keyboard was going to break before I could get off the line.
When we met (I showed up the first time), I mentioned we had met before, their face went blank. They asked “Was I much help”. Despite the rising temptation, I bit my tongue and answered “Not really.” Their face went from blank to red. I explained what happened before.
Okay, what gives – why no shotgun blast? Two reasons.
First, the person who referred this person was someone who had done a number of favors for me.
Second, I care about my reputation. The bomb had gone off, no use trying to defuse now. So blasting would have done nothing for us, though now I would have someone talking poorly about me. So in the end I’d lose. Instead, I gave honest feedback and kept my reputation intact.
Chances are you will be in transition again. So protect your reputation.
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