August 8, 2008

“Rick hasn’t spoken a word to anyone in three years, Jim is going to talk about nothing but work, and Bob hates everyone.  Looks like a pleasant table assignment for me again this year.” (original names have been changed)

The moment of truth always arrives.  We fly all over the world to attend company awards.  It could be the President’s Club, or the MVP awards, or the Excalibur, or whatever your company calls such things.  Locations range from Orlando to Spain and from San Diego to Bermuda. 

As the culminating event to such recognitions, there is typically a formal dinner.  Smart attendees work the dining angle with the event organizers for months prior to the ceremony.  Seating assignments at the banquet can ruin an otherwise pleasant trip.  Three hours seated around a table can seem longer than the entire five-day excursion.   

This moment of truth occurred in Denver.  My colleague approached the hotel ballroom with trepidation.  He had not pre-worked his seating assignment and he knew he could be in for a long evening.  Controlling laughter as he discovered his dinner companions was not an option.  The look on his face told much of the story but I couldn’t wait to hear the details as he approached me.

He was matter of fact in his description, “Rick hasn’t spoken a word to anyone in three years, Jim is going to talk about nothing but work, and Bob hates everyone.  Looks like a pleasant table assignment for me again this year.”

Many of our moments of truth, particularly the dreaded ones, can be avoided with some advance preparation.