The Better Filter

Today, I faced a fairly major inconvenience with terrible timing, as the result of actions taken by a small business owner I had hired. He’s a young man; younger than me by quite a bit. He’s a hustler, and good guy, but he did something careless that caused me quite a spot of trouble.

By itself, that wouldn’t be too bad. Accidents and mistakes happen; such is life. But when I brought the matter to his attention only a few minutes after he departed, he got himself fired. How? Instead of fixing the mistake, he told me he could only come back and fix it if he canceled another job and thus would have to charge me. Basically, to complete the job I’d already paid him to do.

Now, I really do think he’s a good guy. I think he’s just inexperienced in the ways of business. I’m open to the idea of him making a high-integrity play and earning back my business. In fact, I’d welcome it! But the lesson I hope he takes away is that doing good work is necessary but not sufficient to keep loyal customers. Your ethic matters, too.

We did have a nice talk where I explained this to him. He apologized and we were both well-mannered. The door isn’t shut forever, definitely. But this lesson in business comes courtesy of my father – though it went through a better filter, first. My father wouldn’t have been well-mannered.

And I didn’t “pass on” the problem. My kids were home, and they volunteered to help me, but I was clear that they didn’t have to. And I didn’t yell at them or treat them like they’d done something wrong. I kept my frustration from weaponizing itself into multi-directional anger, in other words.

Another filter.

We can take the best of the generations before us, all their might and wonder, and still leave behind a few of their flaws. The better filter of time and lessons is us.