Wednesday, May 7, 2008

07-May-08 Ultimate Politeness

Today I was in a meeting with an external vendor and they were unhappy with the company's area performance. They never came out and said they were upset, but went round and round about some things they would like to see different. What I was told later is that meant they were really upset. Go figure!

The equivalent discussion in the US would include expletives and raised voices. The funny thing was that in most cases, the vendor actually said what they could do to help the process, when they really meant was "what the hell are you doing about it".

These kind of discussions occur all the time, they are never likely to say "no" or "I'm upset with you", as that would put the other person directly at unease. Instead, they use lots of words to imply the problem or make a suggestion, when they are really telling you what to do, not just recommending.

I must be an anomaly as I just speak what I mean and what I feel, and too bad if they are at unease. They should be, right?

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