And when she thanked you for pointing things out, she didn't reiterate the 3 pph goal, she assumed that you would eventually reach the higher goal, because she knows you can since you just showed here you had already reached the 3 pph benchmark.

Also how I read that. You are improving, and will continue to, for at least the next 11 months.

And when she thanked you for pointing things out, she didn't reiterate the 3 pph goal, she assumed that you would eventually reach the higher goal, because she knows you can since you just showed here you had already reached the 3 pph benchmark.

Also how I read that. You are improving, and will continue to, for at least the next 11 months.

I am clearly not adept at communicating in a business setting. (That's not snarky; that's observation.) Because my old job was very informal (and also dysfunctional), I'm still not used to working with someone who actually manages people in a business-appropriate manner.

(Although it took me months to realize that when she says "feel free to..." she really means "DO THIS." As in "feel free to remove the comment boxes before you return the file" means "you should remove the comment boxes etc."

Because I'm used to "feel free" meaning "hey, do this if you want," like "I made some pie; feel free to have a piece!" That totally doesn't mean "YOU SHOULD EAT PIE NOW!"

...or does it?)

-t! I am about to send you yet another email about the trip. We might still be able to get the excursions if we let the travel agent know today.

t nag

Maybe it would help if you thought of her emails as being read by an excessively polite British person? (*Is she*, in fact, an excessively polite British person? Because this seems like it might explain so many of the communication issues.)

(Although it took me months to realize that when she says "feel free to..." she really means "DO THIS." As in "feel free to remove the comment boxes before you return the file" means "you should remove the comment boxes etc."

That's not you, Steph. That's her not being clear in her instructions.

Maybe it would help if you thought of her emails as being read by an excessively polite British person? (*Is she*, in fact, an excessively polite British person? Because this seems like it might explain so many of the communication issues.)

She is excessively polite and soft-spoken over the phone (and I assume in person), though not British. Unless she ditched her accent. But yeah, she really is excessively polite.

(Although it took me months to realize that when she says "feel free to..." she really means "DO THIS." As in "feel free to remove the comment boxes before you return the file" means "you should remove the comment boxes etc."

That's not you, Steph. That's her not being clear in her instructions.

Okay. I wasn't sure if "feel free" had a connotation in business that I was missing. It would be easier if she just said "Please remove the comment boxes." But OTOH, I was SO PROUD of cracking that code!

Yay for the good BoA news, Maria!

I'm sorry for the folks having difficulty with their jobs at the moment. I seem to be on the opposite side of things. I've always been the type of person who thinks the best time to go after a new job is when you don't need it, because it give you the upper hand in negotiations. In that spirit, I just submitted the last piece of application material for a job that would be a big deal and a big career shift for me. Let's see if the search committee thinks I am suitable for a round of interviews, and then I get to see if I think this job is the right thing for me to pull the trigger on a major career shift.

In parallel with this, my company has moved onto the next phase in the process for winning a long term contract with a new business unit with one of the big corporations that is already a huge client of mine. I should know by the end of next week if we got it.

I also just got a call about a bid to upgrade a large system installation here in the city.

Lots of balls in the air right now, and I think all of them good. It's just a lot to keep in my head.

It took me years to figure out how to communicate with my boss. Srsly.

Fingers crossed, ND