Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. – James 1:19
I did something I rarely do today, I lost my cool over something today w/ someone and went on a rant & for lack of a better term “stood my ground”. I typically don’t like this, I’m not what you would consider a confrontational person but you can ask those close to me, when I’ve had enough – I’ve had enough. This wasn’t a client situation or anything like that, it was a “government / municipality” type thing where I was promised that something (a business opportunity) would be handled through the normal (and fair) channels and to be honest it wasn’t. Instead something was snuck in as a line item by another provider (not even in the same industry). The bottom line, it was either done by an elected official or the provider (doubtful it was them because I know them and think they have integrity), but this provider (no fault of their own) was excluded by a technicality from an RFP process. Yeah, I know this is vague, and I’m sorry, but I’m being vague for a reason.
And… don’t get me wrong, I’ve been in business a long time. You win some, you lose some. I’ve had some major setbacks in business and I’ve also had some serious winfalls over the years. That’s how it rolls. At the end of the day I can hold my head high and know that I did things right and left 110% effort on the field. So, I’m not whining about not getting some project or something, it’s not like that at all, it’s a matter of principal. Now, onto the rest of my rant…
I could have just shrugged my shoulders and went on about my business and had a productive day but that’s just not what I decided to do. It’s kinda like Ron White being arrested for public intoxication, he had the right to remain silent… but not the ability. Well, that’s me. I made some phone calls, several in fact, and pointed out some wrongs and then demonstrated how I had been lied to by some and how my business interests weren’t being treated fairly. I then outlined my plans to launch a campaign blowing the situation out of the water if I had to (…and I’m confident I still can). Long story short, my phone battery is somewhat drained this afternoon from all of the phone calls from friends & officials close to the situation assuring me that they were going to make right the wrong at their first convenience, most were unaware (well, all but one of these folks agreed w/ me and thanked me, but one had to be put in his place – and I was tickled to be the fella that got to do that).
A good litmus test for me as to whether I went to far and got myself out of check in past situations has always been how I felt a few hours later about my actions. Sometimes apologies have to be issued, and when that’s in your court, go and do it. Well, in this instance I feel pretty good. I feel as if I not only gave my business interests as well as others in the game (also friends) a fair opportunity and I also righted a wrong that was about to happen. Somebody had to. I guess what I’m trying to say in all of this is that there are sometimes you have to stand up and have your voice heard and there are times when you need to just keep your mouth shut, learn, and move on… Knowing when is the key, and knowing how far you are willing to go to stand your ground is also pretty good to know beforehand.
If you don’t see another post from me on this topic next week you will know that things got made right, but if you do then you will know it’s hit the fan. I trust that it’s going to be made right because those close to the situation are people of integrity and also like fair, ethical business practices. This is just one of life’s many lessons rolled up in story form that I’m anxious to tell my son about… just as soon as he can talk & understand but for right now I’m going to go home and play with him…
Please Drop Your Questions or Comments