While I pride myself on doing the right thing, there are times I look back with the wisdom and perspective I lacked in the moment.
I had an event to do on the East Coast. We were scheduled in a way it would work with another event on the West Coast immediately following. It was going to be quite a week, and all things needed to go right.
They didn’t.
Mother Nature intervened with flash floods and after four hours on the tarmack, all flights were cancelled. There was no way to fly into my destination in time and no promise of return on the other side. We suggested options including doing the event virtually. Nothing was going to work in time.
We were unable to keep our word. For the first time in 30 years, I didn’t find a way.
We also didn’t communicate in a way that our client felt good. When they finally responded via email, they were gracious and to the point, but had lost faith in our services.
Our story doesn’t matter, we blew it. It didn’t work.
Looking back, I could’ve done more, found them another solution perhaps. I didn’t think of that in the flurry of working to find a way to get there.
Hindsight is indeed 20/20.
I’ve asked for an opportunity to make it right; they don’t owe it to me.