Chicago Chick: How Did You Get So Big

It's been a tough Thursday. One of the people that is on my project is new to consulting although they have 24 years of experience in the business world - accounting to be exact. This is her second project and she is having second thoughts about joining consulting. Today was spent trying to ease her angst about the task that she needed to complete - creating a project plan.

Unfortunately, the project plan is due tomorrow morning and she waited until this afternoon to talk to the Practice Director about her issues. So when tomorrow comes, she won't have a project plan to deliver and the Practice Director can't really do anything about it because of the short notice.

The technical resource on my project is also pretty new to consulting and has a communication issue. He doesn't let you finish a question before he answers it. Most conversations with the client go like this:

Client: "Have you been able to . . ."
Tech Resource: "Yes"
Client: * awkward silence * and then "Have you been able to . . . "
Tech Resource: "No"
Client: "Let's try this again and please let me finish my . . ."
Tech Resource: "Yes. I mean, okay okay okay"

It's frustrating, but today's conversation had to do with the word "NO" and the fact that the Tech Resource didn't understand the meaning of the word. When someone told him not to do something his response was "So, do you want me to research that?". The person talking to him said - quite emphatically - "No" and his response was "I can do some research" to which the person talking to him said, "And what part of NO do you not understand?"

The angst level in the room was getting to me and by the time lunchtime rolled around, I was feeling pretty anxious (for no reason) myself. But, nothing prepared me for the question I was asked by a 4 year old, the very cute son of a nail tech, at the place where I get my manicures.