Appreciation...Or Lack Thereof

I am good at my job. I have a proven track record. I raised over $100,000 in a fiscal year. I have exceeded fundraising goals by thousands of dollars on a number of occasions. I am respected in my business community and I am respected among my colleagues. People want to work with me because of my reputation; I'm know for being passionate, hardworking, committed and following through on my word. People have said they like working with me because it's easy and I make things fun. 

I do not appreciate being referred to as a "pit bull" or being told I need to have a "robust social life outside of work" or having it suggested that I need a hobby. I do not appreciate being told I "need to have more of a human touch" when dealing with my contacts; I'd say phone calls, in person visits and handwritten notes that I use with my contacts is pretty "human". 

I do not appreciate being told I am "not representing the organization well" because someone we paid to do IT work for us criticized me for planning an annual meeting, which was something that had nothing to do with him or the work he was doing. Nor do I appreciate you throwing me under the bus to make yourself and the organization look good. 

I do not appreciate you inviting guests to a meeting that I am having without asking me first. Especially if you are not invited to the meeting and when you know nothing about the meeting, outside of the fact that it is taking place. I do not appreciate you inviting someone to be the speaker at my meeting, especially when the speaker is not related to any of the agenda items. 

I do not appreciate when you make it so blatantly obvious that you do not like me; not returning my phone calls, emails, refusing to meet with me, suggesting that we meet and then refusing to set a date, ignoring questions I ask, walking out of a room when I am answering the question you asked me. For the record, message received, regardless of whether or not you meant to send that message.

I do not appreciate when I have to say in a room full of people "please do not commit me to any meetings, events or projects without talking to me first" and then less than two months later you make a commitment for me to meet with someone on a specific day, with out consulting me first. 

I do not appreciate when I do my job, create a proposal for a project, and instead of telling me you don't like and to resubmit, you change the entire thing-location, speaker, activity, intent of the project- and expect me to use my personal, not business, contacts to make it happen. I especially don't appreciate when you make these changes two months after everything was set.




That felt good.