Have you ever jumped to the wrong conclusion and regretted it later? This has probably happened to all of us.
When we act with limited information, we often make bad decisions.
These situations can be caused by family, friends, employees, co-workers, vendors, customers or even strangers. The emotional response could be anything like anger, fear or betrayal.
For example, years ago I managed a mortgage company. I was asked to move to Albuquerque to fix the largest branch in the area. It had a long history of profit loss and had gone through five managers in the past five years.
On my first day, the entire staff quit except for one employee named Mara. For the next few months, Mara and I worked long days, nights and weekends. Slowly the branch began turning a profit.
One day, Mara took an extra half-hour on her lunch. I was angry when she walked in. I called her into my office and reminded her how short staffed we were and chastised her. Mara got up and walked out of my office.
Mara returned with a German chocolate cake and two plates. It was my birthday, and she knew how much I loved that cake. She drove across town to get it. I felt like a total jerk.
Next time you feel a strong emotion, slow down before you act.
Bill Nordbrock is vice president of community relations for SCORE Southern Arizona, a nonprofit that offers free small-business counseling. For more information, go to southernarizona.score.org or call 520-505-3636.
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