Sometimes mistakes are inevitable. And sometimes they do not depend on you at all, yet they fall right on you.
A general counsel from a very renowned company had decided to give me a gift, sending me a book she thought I should read. A thoughtful gesture, generous in its simplicity. The ones I really like, because they take into account the human touch more than the business relationship.
Unfortunately, the office reception sent the package back. I had warned them it was coming, I had mitigated the risk, but between a bit of nonchalance, a bit of misunderstanding, and the chaos of Black Friday, the damage was done. Your reputation takes a hit, and you are not even responsible for it.
And believe me, I care a lot about my reputation. Because I know how much work it takes to build it, and how little it takes to destroy it.
In those moments you ask yourself where you went wrong, what you should have done, how you could have prevented it. And the honest answer is simple: technically, there was nothing else I could have done. Full stop. Every step was correct. Even the risk mitigation.
So here we are. I messed up, even if I didn’t.
What to do?
I wrote her a message. You can’t work on your past, but yoy can take action regarding your future.
A book was the original intention. A book will remain the intention. Next time we meet, I will give her a book I choose carefully, one that carries meaning, and that will be my gift (and yes, I already chose the title).
You know I tend to see the positive side of things, so maybe this is simply destiny playing one of its tricks, making sure she ends up reading that book anyway.
Given my long relationship with destiny’s sense of humour, I wouldn’t be surprised…
