Baraka_Guru

Hey, Mr. "Graphic Designer" Guy Who I Don't Know at All!

When you told me you're going to have a file ready for me "soon," I didn't mind giving you the benefit of the doubt. Not at all...really. This was the first time we exchanged communications, and I like to think that my associates associate with competent people.

However, when "soon" comes and goes, not much changes other than I expect to get a more specific idea of what you're talking about. So when you said I'd get the file "tomorrow," my editor brain thinks, "Tomorrow." That means "the day after today."

Now let's be realistic. When "tomorrow" comes and goes and I don't hear from you at all, what am I to think?

A) You forgot.
B) You had other, more important, things to do.
C) Something has gone terribly wrong, and you've come across something beyond your capabilities and were too embarrassed to let me know.

Take a guess at what I thought. Yes, that's right, C. Because if it were A or B, you would be either a complete idiot or an asshole. But, no, it's C, which means you are irresponsible.

If something's gone wrong, you tell me. You don't ignore me, leave me in the dark, hope I go away.... you fucking tell me. That way, I can do something about it, whether that means helping you or taking the project off your hands and into the hands of someone more capable.

It's no coincidence that this other, more capable, person I'm thinking about is the one with the money on the line.

Here's a tip: if you want to establish strong business ties, learn to take responsibility and let people know when shit isn't going according to plan. Doing otherwise only makes things worse.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot