Issue story: From diverting to pointing out the issue myself

Issue story: From diverting to pointing out the issue myself

In 2003, I was admitted to COEP Technological University, which had recently become an autonomous institute. Engineering is notorious for submissions, especially graphics, and only divine intervention after the professor’s approval could get your graphics sheet accepted on the first try.

I was good at communication and small talk, and I leveraged this skill thoroughly. When my sheet was in front of the professor (my graphics were good, but professors always had an eye for finding mistakes), I would divert the professor’s attention by asking a good question or praising something he mentioned in class. This way, my sheet would get approved on the first go! I felt good about this and thought I was very smart.

This habit continued until 2021 and saved a good amount of time by avoiding rework. However, working in consulting, especially on operational projects for almost a decade, makes you humble, even if you don’t want to be. 😁 

Hence, I have started "biting the bullet". Now during managerial or client reviews, I now give the reviewer time to find any potential issues by remaining silent. If I find any issue, I am the first to point it out on the call and state that we will fix it.

This attitude helps in making the product better and shows that I am a sincere person who genuinely wants to help the client. Always remember, “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.”