Don’t Jump the Gun

I remember this one day vividly in 2007.

The super boss at the firm had announced that he will be handing over key client accounts to some of us to manage. This was a coveted opportunity, and a thing of undeniable prestige for us as till that day the super boss had managed the accounts himself. On the D-day, all my peers got emails from the super boss allocating different accounts to them. I kept waiting and even by the end of
the day, I didn't get any email. I was very disappointed and even partly angry. I felt I have been burning the midnight oil, having had my work appreciated for many months, yet no client account was allocated to me.

Seeing me get angry, my immediate manager (Shashank) took me for a walk. During the walk I vented out my frustrations and even my escalations of potentially leaving the firm. My boss patiently heard me out. Having cooled me down, he said the super boss hadn't forgotten about you. Rather, he had earmarked the most complex and biggest account for allocating to you. He wanted to do this in person rather than over a call, and hence you hadn't received an email on it. I turned pink with embarrassment at my overreaction. Not only had I been too quick to react, but equally had watered down all the past favorable interactions in doing so. I was lucky, as both my manager and the super boss being the awesome leaders they were brushed my reaction aside, and continued to guide/ mentor me through the years.

That day has been a firm reminder to not jump the gun, and give people the benefit of doubt. It's important to not let the situation get the best of you, and focus not just on one decision that may have seemingly gone against you but look at the longer trajectory of your interactions with people in question.