Article November 3, 2003 Issue

He said, she said

By Pamela Cook

Have you ever had an interaction with someone that you thought went well, only to find out later that the other person thought the opposite?

A few months back, I learned that someone with whom I had some brief interactions was misrepresenting me in a way that made me look unkind, to say the least. Not only that, he was spreading this story around and demanding an apology from me.

Here's what happened. A nonprofit organization I belong to had hired this individual — call him "Bob" — on a temporary basis to fill in for a regular employee during a monthlong vacation. Bob had been briefed on his duties, but the first day he was pretty much missing in action. He was in the building, but not at his post at the appointed time. Someone searched the building and found him in the basement. As head of the committee responsible for his role, I was asked to meet with Bob to review the responsibilities of the job. It wasn't an easy conversation, but I thought it went OK.

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