Do you know that person, who would be better if they were not trying to help? Yes, the one that messes it up, or just gets in the way of the “real doers”.
Here is a different take on that.
There is this person who I have been trying to reach for weeks. I have persisted, regardless of the cold shoulder, and the silence. I have made all kinds of theories in my head. Is the email address right? Are they still working at the same place? Is my email undeliverable? Ends up in spam? ARE THEY EVEN OK??
Well, this week, today, I got an “Out of Office” message from this fella. You know, those auto responders we used to put on even if we were unreachable during a three-hour flight. I personally almost never use them, as we are never truly out of the office anymore.
But let’s get back to the story. I FINALLY get an answer from him, and it is an Out of Office? You would think I was mad, but I couldn’t be happier. He made me a favor. Here is what I learned:
- I got the email address right.
- He still works there.
- There are no Spam or undeliverability issues.
- Now I also know when will he be back, and how long will he be gone.
- On top of that, now I know his current title, both his office and mobile telephone numbers, and the name and email address of his assistant.
Isn’t that sweet?
I am not sure what kind of work he does when he’s around, but I know that he’s much more polite (to me) when he’s not.