She was not demanding. All she was hoping for were 30 minutes of his time. She – an employee of the international production company. He – her direct superior based in a different country.
They were mostly meeting online at conference calls and from time to time he would visit the site where she was working. He was always busy with so many production related issues to deal with. He was doing his best, he would probably tell you.
This is how she felt: “He never has time to sit with me and talk. I have some questions to ask, a few suggestions on how to improve our cooperation to discuss, and some misunderstandings to clear. I keep asking him for a short meeting, but with no luck.”
Imagine he would sit with her – to listen, to give her full attention, to ask how he can support her. The magic of these short encounters is not only that a lot can solved but mainly that they build the trust with the speed of light.
But it never happened; he did not find time.
A few months later, I noticed online that she liked the Forbes article: “People Leave Managers, Not Companies.” And then LinkedIn suggested I congratulate her on a new job in a different company.