Its Easy to Spot a Fake

I was chatting with a client the other day - following-up on some support items they were overdue to send my way so we could meet a project deadline. The minute I got on the call I could tell something was off. I wasn't being confrontational, I was just calling to check in. But the client was talking and talking, not getting to a point, and really confusing me. After several minutes of listening, I asked a couple of questions to try and clarify. They were still talking in circles and I was getting even more confused. Then the sea parted before me and I was able to figure out what was going on - they hadn't done their homework, didn't know the answers, had let it slip through the cracks, and didn't want to look stupid. So they were trying to fake their way through the conversation.

I got it, stopped asking questions, and just told them they could get back to me when they'd had a chance to meet with their team. My hope was to give them a graceful exit. They took it.

After the call, I thought about what happened for a bit. I was still confused why they were so worried about simply telling me that they needed some more time. Especially since they are the boss (the client) and I'm working for them. But then I stopped myself and realized that I've been known to do the same thing. If someone asks me a question I think I'm supposed to know the answer to, my first instinct is to panic and say something...anything, to not look stupid. But talking in circles isn't a much better alternative.

This one is easy to spot in other people, much harder to spot in myself (which is usually the case).

My challenge to all of us MMs - we need to watch ourselves carefully and make sure we're open when we let something slip and don't know the answer. It doesn't matter if we're talking to a co-worker, our boss, a customer, or a vendor. Odds are that if we call a spade a spade when we let something slip, other people we work with will be more accepting when we call them out for the same. Be a doer first, correct others later.