So how does a Starbucks gift card create so much confusion around here? Let me explain.
We got 4 gift cards as a thank you from Susan Heid over at The Confident Mom for being guest bloggers on her site (check out her site at http://www.theconfidentmom.com it’s great!). We have a “system” here when we receive greeting cards or information in the mail that everyone needs to look over. It gets put into every one’s mailbox & once someone looks it over, they initial it and it gets put into the next mailbox and so forth. Easy, right? This particular day when the greeting card came with the gift cards inside, Natalie got it, then I received it, passed it along to Joleen, and Teri was the last one. However, by the time Teri got the greeting card, there was only 1 gift card left in it (b/c we’d all taken one beforehand) & she assumed only 1 was sent. Later that evening I find the card returned in my mailbox w/one gift card still in it. I was confused! Why didn’t Teri take the gift card?! Teri returned it back to me, figuring we’d split it up somehow between the four of us. Teri and I figured out the miscommunication and had a great laugh.
It got me to thinking how innocently things can be misunderstood just simply due to lack of communication. Teri couldn’t help it she didn’t know there were 4 gift cards! No one told her. We failed to look ahead and think of the end result & communicate the most important piece of information “take one and pass along”. How often does this happen in our life? Do we always give all required information necessary to decrease the likelihood of misunderstandings? More importantly, if a misunderstanding occurs, do you take responsibility for your part in it? At the same time, how often do we look at one small piece of information and take it to represent an entire situation, leaving out other very important pieces of information?
With our little Starbucks mishap, we were able to laugh hysterically about it. Hopefully you can too about your mishaps sometimes. And, thanks to Susan, we’ll be enjoying some lattes or chai’s in the meantime.
Written by: Tamara Wilhelm MA, LMHC
*Tamara enjoys doing marriage counseling, individual counseling, & couples counselingat Imagine Hope. We also specialize in family counseling, child & adolescent counseling. Imagine Hope serves the Indianapolis area, including the surrounding areas of Carmel, Noblesville, Zionsville, Westfield & Fishers.
