If you know me, you’ll know that I’m an impatient madam. Once I have made the decision to do something, I want to get it done, right now, with no holdups or delays or God forbid, anyone telling me it’s a crap idea. Its this impatience that leads me to do things like start the process of self hosting my blog at 11pm at night, despite my technical knowledge being limited to how to turn on a laptop. (that was a good plan, right?)
Given my impatient nature, one thing that makes me really, REALLY ranty is email exchanges like this (I’m paraphrasing the emails and not basing them on one specific incident, because this is a work issue, and I’m a PROFESSIONAL, y’know)
From Me
Dear XYZ,
I’ve been chatting with ABC in your organisation about the possibility of doing a project on DEF, and they suggested I contact you to clarify a few things before progressing. In the first instance, would you be able to let me know the answers to a few questions? *lists 3 questions*
Many thanks, Michelle
From Him
Dear Michelle,
This sounds like a great idea. Can you put a meeting in my diary to discuss in mid February?
Many thanks.
Oh my. SO MANY THINGS make me rant about this. Firstly, I’m not looking for a discussion. I’ve had that already (with your boss, by the way). Secondly, you could have answered the three simple questions (which are VERY simple) in your email, and then armed with the answers I’d be half way through putting a plan together by now. Third – MID MARCH? It’s the first week of February FFS. I want this to happen in early March (see ‘an impatient madam’, above).
And finally, sorry, but I absolutely hate it when people (usually men, actually) tell me to ‘book a meeting in their diary’.* What it says to me is ‘I want a meeting with you, but I am too important to book it myself, so can you just do the donkey work? Ta, love, and can you take tea and coffee orders while you’re at it, oh and just take some minutes and type them up and distribute them too?’
Phew. Feel loads better for getting that off my chest. Now I’m off to book a meeting. *grits teeth*
* DISCLAIMER if you are my boss, or my bosses’ boss, or anyone who is planning on paying me money in any shape or form, then I don’t at all hate it. In fact I’m on it straight away.
With thanks to Ranty Friday @MummyBarrow and #PoCoLo by @vicwelton – why not pop over to either and both and read a few more posts from MUCH better bloggers than me to get your Friday well and truly started?
