Do you have the “Caller ID” weakness? Here are the symptoms.
Your phone rings. You check the caller ID. You recognize the number. You hit ignore…or you answer.
Why do you look? Seriously, WHY? What difference does it make who it is? So what if you don’t want to talk to them? Why not pick up the phone and put them out of their misery? Why waste their time and your energy anticipating the next call that you have to avoid? Why feel like you have to hide? Is your need for approval so bad that you care what they think if you tell them that you don’t want to talk to them again or answer the phone and say, “Oh! If I had known it was you, I’d have let the call go to voice mail.”?
If it is someone that you want to talk to, why do you need to know who it is before you answer? Are you afraid that they’ll have an unfair advantage because they’ll know who they’re calling, but you won’t know who you’re going to be talking with? Don’t you have any ability to roll with a conversation?
I do use caller ID occasionally. If I expect that an important call will come in during a meeting, I’ll check caller ID and take that call and ignore the rest. However, prior to sitting down, I’ll always explain to the person that I’m meeting with, apologize, but say that it’s really important and I’ll ask if it’s OK if I interrupt our meeting and take the call if/when it comes, or if they’d like to reschedule the meeting. They’ll ALWAYS allow me to take the call and as long as it’s not a pattern (and it isn’t) they’ll never be upset with me.
I dunno, I guess I just figure that the telephone company is allowing weak people to get weaker rather than forcing them to deal with life head on.
Your phone rings. You check the caller ID. You recognize the number. You hit ignore…or you answer.
Why do you look? Seriously, WHY? What difference does it make who it is? So what if you don’t want to talk to them? Why not pick up the phone and put them out of their misery? Why waste their time and your energy anticipating the next call that you have to avoid? Why feel like you have to hide? Is your need for approval so bad that you care what they think if you tell them that you don’t want to talk to them again or answer the phone and say, “Oh! If I had known it was you, I’d have let the call go to voice mail.”?
If it is someone that you want to talk to, why do you need to know who it is before you answer? Are you afraid that they’ll have an unfair advantage because they’ll know who they’re calling, but you won’t know who you’re going to be talking with? Don’t you have any ability to roll with a conversation?
I do use caller ID occasionally. If I expect that an important call will come in during a meeting, I’ll check caller ID and take that call and ignore the rest. However, prior to sitting down, I’ll always explain to the person that I’m meeting with, apologize, but say that it’s really important and I’ll ask if it’s OK if I interrupt our meeting and take the call if/when it comes, or if they’d like to reschedule the meeting. They’ll ALWAYS allow me to take the call and as long as it’s not a pattern (and it isn’t) they’ll never be upset with me.
I dunno, I guess I just figure that the telephone company is allowing weak people to get weaker rather than forcing them to deal with life head on.
RainMakers & Sales Rock Stars 
Phone decorum meeting faux paux #1: Answering your phone in a meeting w/out asking permission. I hate that. There are some people I’ve met with that will answer multiple cell phone calls. I think it shows a total lack of respect for my time. I usually wait til another time and if I schedule another meeting, ask them to turn off their phone, so we can focus. Even worse, you’re in a meeting and someone doesn’t know something, so they call someone to find out and then proceed to have a 5 minute conversation. I hate that too.
Oh my! You caught me! I have become so dependent on the caller ID (at home mostly) that I rarely get up to get the phone. You make a great point. Why not just answer it and engage the person on the other end. Sure it could be a telemarketer. But then how many times do we pass up a call from a friend or family member just because it’s not convenient or you don’t feel like talking? Thanks for the reminder to stay connected.