Saturday, July 16, 2005

Day 57 - Under promise and over deliver

Managing people’s expectations in life is always very difficult, managing your children’s expectations and failing to deliver them is even harder. And fail to deliver your own, you have lost it.

I have the adage in life “under promise and over deliver" it will be there in three days time, get it there next day and people feel you have over delivered. It becomes of being a World guru in delivery of customer services. I can say that as I spoke at the African Call Centre Conference!

Anyway the gist of managing expectations will become apparent throughout this post.

I woke up feeling very drained, throat on fire, and mouth very dry, tongue very painful, it is white and feels that someone has slit it. I thought long and hard and called Sarah to ask her to drop William over so that I could take him out in the “Black Pig” the weather was good, tides rights and no swell. I prepared everything hitched up the boat and will always remember the look on his little face. On his arrival I told him the good news got his wetsuit out and we got changed.

The trip to the launch ramp is less than 100 metres in the car, the car is needed to move the trolley up/down the ramp, the launch went well and the boat was in deep enough to get the engine going. I will cut a long story short the engine failed to start, we were drifting around the harbour without power and I was exhausted trying to pull the start cord. Alas it brings the worst out in me, not only do I shout at the “Today” programme I also manage to shout at broken down mechanical equipment. In the past I have been known to kick cars, camper vans and computers in a compassionate way in an attempt to encourage the machine to start.

The long and short of it was a crying lad and early back to port! It was hard to assess who was most disappointed as I think WG (William) derived more fun from hosing down the boat and making soup for our tea, (solid foods are now out) than the whole boaty experience. Perhaps it was his dad who was more disappointed?

I came back exhausted but able to make the first soup of new range of “Goodie Soups” with my son, which in essence was a rewarding experience, it was carrot, cumin, parsley and garlic and to be frank it was awesome, even I was able to taste it, and WG scoffed the lot. We talked about going into business together making soup and I think a new enterprise was born.

Minding children, however how well behaved is hard work, the great conversation and fantastic questions they come out with took its toll by 6pm and the tiredness set in. I was unable to have conservation as it hurt and my mouth and I was happy to see his mum. I was aware that I was caught by my daughter in pain after taking some mouthwash. There was a moment we both looked at each other, the look I remember when I first saw my own father in pain. She is only 4 but I have tried to protect her from pain, but my mouth was very sore and I did not realise she was there.


Whatever happens to me in life my children will come first, and my time with them is at a premium.

I have made a major life decision tonight, but will keep you on edge until tomorrow!

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