I recently experienced a string of meeting mishaps in which the person I was to meet with did not show up i.e. I was the “Stood-Uppee.” This post is for those of you who have committed a “no-show” i.e. the “Stood-Upper”
Do Apologize
It really doesn’t matter why you failed to show up, the other person made time on their schedule for you, so be respectful of their time. Apologize.
The level of effusiveness is directly related to whether you have what the other person wants or vice versa. It does not help your cause to overshare the reason for the no show.
Please Don’t…
- Don’t tell the other person WHY you were a no show.
- Don’t tell them all about how your child/cat/family member’s misbehavior caused the no show.
- Don’t tell all about how your co-worker/boss/employee’s misbehavior caused the no show.
- Don’t tell them about the service provider/clerk/cashier whose incompetence caused your no show.
- Don’t tell them about how your vacation schedule made you lose track of time and caused you to no show.
There are exceptions.
If your child/cat/family member had to be admitted to the ER. Or, there was a sudden death in the family. Or, if you were rear-ended /side-swiped on your way to the meeting or if you were the cause of the five-car pile-up on I-285.
What To Do if You Are About to Become a Stood-Upper
Call/Email/Text the person you are meeting/having a call with as soon as you realize you won’t make the appointment. Apologize.
To ensure you let your appointment know, keep your phone charged, keep a charger in the car to avoid the dead phone phenomena.
Add your tip for Stood-Uppers here. If you have used OR have been given a particularly funny or outrageous reason for a no show, tell us about it here also.
Photo by Suzy Hazelwood
