11–20 of 23 posts
"Oh, my mistake. You're right. Thanks for pointing that out!" That is, if you're humble enough to put your ego aside.
The business partner sent my client an angry email demanding to know how the mistake could have been made. It's very likely that it was the business partner's mistake, very unlikely that it was my clients mistake... but "oh, hey! our consultant was working near that issue, maybe he touched it?! We'll ask him right away, Mr. Angry Important Business Partner!"
Problem is: there's no possible way to know who did it. Shifting it back to the likely source (business partner's team) will only make him more angry, whether or not they are responsible. As a consultant, I can only loose.
So I write an email to him, CC my client, and apologize for the mistake, promising that it won't happen again. My client knows I didn't do it, and now knows that I willingly took the bullet for him.
Maybe SGaaS is a valid business model, where SG = scapegoat.
"Oh, my mistake. You're right. Thanks for pointing that out!" That is, if you're humble enough to put your ego aside.
Sometimes conceding defeat so easily is the most frustrating thing for your opponent. It makes them feel like they only won because you didn't try.
"Oh, my mistake. You're right. Thanks for pointing that out!" That is, if you're humble enough to put your ego aside.
This is generally a good strategy even if it wasn't your mistake. Last week I wrote a short apology for something I'm sure I didn't do, which got my client in trouble with his business partner. The business partner sent my client an angry email demanding to know how the mistake could have been made. It's very likely that it was the business partner's mistake, very unlikely that it was my clients mistake... but "oh, h…
Another one of my favourites: Phrasing a request like you're asking a favour even though you're just telling someone to do their job.
"Oh, my mistake. You're right. Thanks for pointing that out!" That is, if you're humble enough to put your ego aside.
This is generally a good strategy even if it wasn't your mistake. Last week I wrote a short apology for something I'm sure I didn't do, which got my client in trouble with his business partner. The business partner sent my client an angry email demanding to know how the mistake could have been made. It's very likely that it was the business partner's mistake, very unlikely that it was my clients mistake... but "oh, h…
One could argue that consultancy firms are already in this business, as you've just described.
When unpleasant decisions need to be made, hire a bunch of consultants who can 'rubber stamp' it so the management and board can pass the blame.
There's also the generic "that's provably false".
"That would reduce to the halting problem"
Or my favorite,
"If you can solve that problem, there are much more lucrative applications for the technology than [what you're working on]"
"Oh, my mistake. You're right. Thanks for pointing that out!" That is, if you're humble enough to put your ego aside.
This is generally a good strategy even if it wasn't your mistake. Last week I wrote a short apology for something I'm sure I didn't do, which got my client in trouble with his business partner. The business partner sent my client an angry email demanding to know how the mistake could have been made. It's very likely that it was the business partner's mistake, very unlikely that it was my clients mistake... but "oh, h…
I don't have a link, although I think it was on HN awhile back.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sometimes conceding defeat so easily is the most frustrating thing for your opponent. It makes them feel like they only won because you didn't try.
I had a girlfriend complain "you always have to be right!" to which I replied "no, I'm just willing to admit when I am wrong". She objected, saying that I win every arguement. I recalled many occurances where she won arguements and pointed out how breif those discussions were because I allowed her to be right. Then she got even more angry at me for being right again...