#FridayAfternoonThought
Warning: rant incoming.
Don't leave people hanging... it saps their energy, time and confidence in you.
😢 An accountant who didn't tell me they were on an extended holiday, and left no out of office left me worried that my accounts had got lost, I'd miss a deadline because I didn't know how much tax I needed to pay...
😕 Someone due to get some building plans back to me didn't meet their own deadline... turns out there had been a software failure. But I had to get in touch to find that out.
☔ A lawyer who was not answering questions and getting papers back to me... turns out they'd had a roof leak with office and records damaged . But I had to get in touch to find that out.
⚡ The electrician who didn't turn up at the agreed time when I was waiting to go out... turns out he had been called out to an emergency. But I had to get in touch to find that out.
Stuff happens, of course it does and we all understand. But I can't second guess what's going on, I'm just left waiting and worrying.
Dead simple really - just tell people. Otherwise they get prickly.
P.S. I posted this because I have done this myself recently - and have lost a valued client. My health was iffy and I wasn't sure I'd be up to any coaching session booked in after the date I had said I'd be back to work.
I figured I'd get in touch when I was ready. It was too late. The client wrote and requested a refund for the remaining sessions. After 8 months of no income this was hard to hear.
BUT!
It's entirely fair and understandable - there'd been too big a gap and they had no news. They will be able to spend the money somewhere else, getting on with exploring what's beyond their current horizons.
Communication, in the absence of news, is important in itself.