Chapter 42The Hot Potato
The next pressure point is the Hot Potato. That’s when somebody wants to give you his or her problem and make it your problem. It’s like tossing you a hot potato at a barbecue. What Hot Potatoes are you tossed? Do you ever hear “We just don’t have it in the budget”? Whose problem is it that they didn’t budget properly for your fine product or service? It’s their problem, right? Not yours. But they’d like to toss it to you and make it yours.
How about “I can’t authorize that.” Whose problem is it that he hasn’t developed the trust of the people to whom he reports? It’s his, right? Not yours. But he’d like to toss it to you and make it yours. If you’re a contractor, customers have probably called you to say, “I need you ...
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