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False Assumptions and True Expressions: Thursdays with Tushar
By Tushar Panchal on May 15, 2008 in Ask Questions, Indian PR industry, communication, education, industry news
I assume you know why I am late in posting this post today.
I assume you know by now what I am going to write today.
I assume that you must have got decent increment this time and your CV is not floating in the market.
I assume that you have been reading and will keep on reading whatever I write in my post.
We all assume. We all assume lot of things. Imagine a world without assumptions. Would you be able to live in this kind of world, where everything is non-politically correct and being expressed as it is? Yes, one such world exists but it may be too personal to involve anybody else than me and my wife! :) But, please don’t assume anything yet. She is the one who taught me the power of expression and she’s my biggest inspiration to continue expressing whatever I feel like with you guys without really bothering to think about whether it is politically correct, whether is this the right platform to talk about everything I have been speaking to you or whether I should just stick to whatever I learnt in my B-school or on the job. She knows quite a few things but doesn’t want to assume those and wants me to express it again and again in many ways. This is getting really interesting and I can write endlessly about my wife and what I learn from her but I have to do a justice to the platform and do not talk too much about my personal assumptions and expressions. So, shhh!!
I had a review meeting with some clients. As usual, they assumed that agency did not do any work as per their wish and command. They expressed their unhappiness to my colleagues as well. They assumed that journalists know everything about them. They spoke to journalists on the false assumption they know the business and the company they are speaking to and made lots of mistakes in the process. They assumed agency will take it easy and say ‘yes’ to whenever they will express their unhappiness.
Unfortunately, they had to deal with me and only thing they might have not assumed is my agency’s ability to express in a manner, which probably not many from service industry are capable of doing it.
To cut the long story short, I walked out on the CEO of the organization and demonstrated extreme displeasure to him about the way they are not listening to the team and agency. After a while, I went back to the CEO and obliged him by talking to them about why they don’t know how to express and living in the world full of assumptions. Told him about his inability to live the brand, informed him about how he’s losing money to us without really utilising the brain my agency has and in the process enlightened him on the power of communication.
In the end, he expressed his pleasure in one line – saying that for the first time in his long career as a CEO someone has really walked out on him to prove a point and he’s convinced that expressing it is always better than assuming it.
Anyways, the objective of the post is to let you know my friends that if you are convinced about what you are doing is right. Just go ahead and do it. Don’t assume anything, express everything and express it effectively.
So, my dear wife, when you want me to express my feelings, I know what you are talking about… I am learning and I am happy to express and admit in front of my readers that I am learning it all from you and only you.
Express yourself! Phir pata nahi kal ho na ho…
On May 15, 2008, Shashank Jaitely said:
Assusmption is a very dangerous word, at work and in relationships. we should NEVER assume. Even while we are saying something, we should think about other person’s reaction in advance and try to cover everything as far as possible so that the conversatin ends smooth without too many questions. I will not talk about assumptions in relations…I will end up writing a book…!!!
I remember a quote from one of Stevan Segal’s movie..: “Assumption is the mother of all f*** ups”!
On May 15, 2008, himanshu kapadia said:
i have a word - granted. dont take me for granted and assume that i will be happy with a x salary xy car, xyz house, although my smile says i am happy, dont take me for granted that i eat vegitarian and cannot bite, i have a heart which does not break, i am pachvi paas but cannot run a business.( you made me remember some old dialogue which i said)
On May 15, 2008, Tushar said:
Dear Shashank:
Take care,
Tushar
On May 15, 2008, Tushar said:
Hey, Himanshu.
Yes. We take many things for granted and it is another word for compromise. Life is very funny and forces you do things, which you may never wanted to do. But you know something Himanshu - I have made a promise to myself. A promise that I will try living my life on my terms (with some discounts for friends :)) as far as possible. Let me see how far I go from here… I will keep you updated.
Take care.
Tushar
On May 15, 2008, Shashank Jaitely said:
Yes, we all are trapped. The problem is that the depth is abysmal. It is soo very difficult to come out of it. Somethings we have to assume as we cannot check and express everything.
This specially happens between a daugher-in-laws and mother-in-laws. Lot of things are left to assumptions and most of the times the results are disastrous.
On May 16, 2008, Vaishali Shah said:
This is true…but the fact that people even when they expressed donot do it directly the way you did to the CEO of the company..The expression of any incident/feeling should be done directly and then the magic of expression does really wonders..
On May 16, 2008, Tushar said:
Yes, Shashank. There are few things you can’t express! for everything else there’s my mailbox, feel free to use it as and when you feel like.
And yes buddy, some relationships are governed by strange laws and and whenever there is any law, matter becomes subjudice, so we can not even comment.
On May 16, 2008, Tushar said:
Dear Vaishali:
Circumstances - many a times you become victim of circumstances and do not express yourself the way you are expected to and we can’t poor souls like us for the same.
Yes, one thing I can tell you is that the biggest mistake we make in our life is to live with a fear of losing..
what if he goes away if I say like this?
what if I lose this client if say no to this idiotic news release?
Will he or she leave me if I say that I can’t come for a date today?
You know something Vaishali, if someone or something has to go, it will go irrespective of what you do or say. And, if your invisible force is within you - these things will never happen. Remember we spoke about invisible force before. To express the way you want to starts from getting rid of that fear of losing… Victory comes to fearless and true hero is the one who speaks with her/his heart and leave everything else to destiny and God.
phew! Am I turning saint or what…!?
On May 16, 2008, Vaishali Shah said:
Yes agreed..Fortune favours the brave..