Day 8 | On Business Ghosting
Oh it’s beyond just dating.
So today a wonderful lesson happened to me and my team. We had launched our products and encountered extremely warm responses from a slightly more advanced company in the retail space. We met up and had a great initial conversation with some more detailed and prompt email responses. Everything seemed to be going just fine.
And then, our meeting was canceled last minute for a “rescheduling”, which we expected to be around a few days since he only mentioned being out of the office for a day.
Then, as you could probably guess by now, he disappeared and went dead silent. My teammate and I sent out three emails that were each warm, courteous, and short. Nothing happened.
After about a week later, I realized: I just got ghosted. Perhaps this is karma biting back at me for all the boys I have dated in the dating game. Now I see, it truly does not feel nice.
The painful reality of ghosting is the lack of closure, that is why sometimes it is tempting to cut losses and burn bridges, to initiate the act of bye, so we regain control. Yet it is often not the most rationally optimal decision.
As a functional adult and a professional that is now no longer a student but an equal of the other entrepreneurs and business people out there, I am coming closer to terms with the lesson I have learned: It doesn’t matter how others treat you. You need to stay cool, and act professional, which is just a nicer term for don’t look like you give a fuck. You are supposed to be able to cut your losses at any point and just walk away. Or even better, when the other party does so, you stay there, and remain non-reactant.
Why and when does caring too much became a sin? And when did simply giving a straightforward rejection become a virtuous act?
It’s not about ego. It’s about respect.
