Sarah’s $20 Leadership Lesson
This morning, I learned something unexpected — not from a training or a leadership seminar, but from a humble Zoom meeting.
At 9:00 AM, I was ready for an important external meeting. Coffee on my right hand, notes on my left — the usual routine. Everything went smoothly until I received a message from another team:
“Hey, we’re going to use this Zoom account at 10:00 for our external meeting.”
Wait, what? I was still in the middle of mine!
Turns out, although I had booked the Zoom account first, the system automatically set my reservation to 30 minutes (09:00–09:30). So, the other team thought the slot from 10:00 to 12:00 was free and simply booked it.Small misunderstanding — but a chaotic one. Both meetings were with external partners, both were important, and neither could be moved.So, after a quick mental debate, I made a spontaneous decision: I bought a one-month Zoom Premium plan, using my personal credit card — all for the sake of keeping everyone’s meetings running smoothly.
Honestly? A strange mix of emotions. It’s not about the amount — $20 is nothing compared to my monthly salary — but it felt expensive, because I was paying for something I didn’t break, a mistake that wasnt mine. It wasn’t the money; it was the principle.I was covering up a system gap, not a personal mistake. But then I realized something deeper: Professionalism isn’t just about being right — it’s about how we handle things when everything goes wrong.
And just like that, I realized I had unknowingly signed up for a short course called:
“How to Stay Sane and Professional When the System Is a Mess — Fee: $20.”
Congratulation, Sar !
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