TysonTime

Dare You Doubt Me? June 12, 2008

So, as you may or may not know, I am doing the Personal MBA course (www.personalmba.com) and have been reading “First Break all the Rules” by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman. In that book, in a section discussing the best ways to interview a new employee candidate, they ask the question “How do you feel when people doubt you?”

They say that, when asking a salesman, the best answer is “upset” because salesmen hate having their credibility challenged. Their integrity is all they they have to sell! If a teacher answers the questions, it should be “happy” because it implies that the student is “actively learning.” How do I feel about it? Well, indifferent. I wouldn’t do well on this question in an interview!

I feel indifferent to someone doubting me because I expect to have to earn that person’s trust over time. The fact that they doubt me is their choice, and often times, since I am talking to them about things outside of or a stretch from their domain, I don’t expect them to believe me on day 1. When I am doubted, I feel resolve to educate and convince, but I am certainly not upset, or happy, or anything truly emotional. It just is. When someone doubts me so much that the expense I must incur to get them on my side is great, I just move on.

Here’s my point of reference: I don’t bullshit, and I don’t lie (unless it’s funny, and you disclose once the punchline has passed), and so you have no real reason to doubt me. I know that I am not wasting your time feeding you lines.  So if you doubt me, it just means you haven’t come to understand or trust me yet. To me, that isn’t an emotional issue. It doesn’t inspire feeling as much as indicate work that I yet must do.

I don’t think someone questioning me should inspire emotional response, that is unless you know me, trust me, and have a momentary lapse in remembering who I am…