Ouch, That Hurts!

As I look back over my career, I remember all the lessons I learned by experience!

One time as a sales person I was so frustrated with a client and I told him so in no uncertain words.

At that time I worked for a payroll service company and had taken on this restaurant client mid year, so they would start on our service at the beginning of the third quarter.  For those that are unfamiliar with the process, I had to take all their records from January to June 30, make them balance; be sure they had paid their payroll taxes and generally tidy everything so we had a good clear slate when we began July 1.  The client literally gave me a shoe

box of information for both companies.  I had a long weekend vacation planned but canceled because I knew it wasn't going to be a one hour job as this was back in the day before computers were in everyone's hands.  I had to use the old fashioned ten-key calculator.  On Tuesday when we called to get the first payroll information to run their payroll, the jerk (really, I'm over it!) owner said that he had changed his mind.  I called him to find out what the issue was and he just said that he didn't want to use our service and would I please forward his records to him.  I may  have said some not so nice things back to this person.

When I mentioned my conversation with our owner, he got one of those looks on his face that told me I was in trouble.  Not only did he tell me that I had to apologize for my behavior but that I had to do it in person.  My job depended on it.  To this day I still think I  was right, but I wasn't the boss!

What I did learn was to never burn a bridge for various reasons, all very logical. But the real one that stays with me to this day is that I never want to have to beg for forgiveness in person EVER AGAIN.

Really I'm over it!  (I think this post is about relationships and how to maintain them....I think!)

What's a lesson you remember?????