A friend I have had for years used to remind me that life was not a series of questions that had to be answered. In other words, shut up. He meant well. If I heard a question I knew the answer to, I was right there giving it loud and clear. Often even when I wasn’t asked. It was (is?) a character flaw I might take to the grave…who knows?
I was in a meeting today in which I tested this theory. Not because I’ve wised up or anything, but because the meeting was mostly in Spanish. I could follow, but by the time I caught up, they were on to the next point. My command of the Spanish language is kind of like driving 80 m.p.h. by a billboard with a lot of information on it. I might get most of it, I might get some of it, or I might miss it altogether as it zooms by me.
So I am at the meeting and the billboard analogy is working quite well. The subject of the meeting is something I am considered rather versed in, hence my invitation to the meeting. But I was mostly listening, trying to make sure I didn’t wreck into the car in front of me while getting the gist of each point. It was a little frustrating and I wanted to contribute, but I wasn’t sure EXACTLY what they were talking about most of the time.
Finally, since I hadn’t spoken, they asked my opinion (I suppose they needed to justify feeding me lunch). As I spoke, there were nods of agreement, I had scored. Moreover, I had made my point in a timely fashion, unlike the usually "quickest to the buzzer method wins" that I have employed for years. I got their respect without overpowering them.
However, it wasn’t the first time I have done well without knowing what I was doing. You should meet my wife and kids.
