I once had an appointment with a senior manager at a bank to discuss Purchase Order (PO) Financing and Factoring for a project.
Upon arriving, I informed the customer relations officer that I was there to meet the manager. The officer checked the system and mentioned that there was no appointment recorded in the database. He then asked what matter I wished to discuss.
I explained that I wanted to discuss certain aspects of factoring. The officer responded,
"I know the basics of PO Financing and Factoring."
to which I replied,
"I'm not looking for the basics. I'm interested in understanding the full details."
At that moment, the executive's secretary called the officer and informed him that the manager was expecting me. Apparently, she had forgotten to update the appointment in the system. The officer's demeanor changed immediately, and he apologized for the misunderstanding.
When I eventually met the secretary and the manager, they asked whether I had encountered any issues downstairs. I simply smiled and replied, "No," before proceeding with the discussion. My response was met with somewhat puzzled expressions from both of them, although I suspected they already knew what had transpired.
The meeting itself was productive and covered the details I needed regarding the proposed Purchase Order Financing and Factoring arrangements.
At the conclusion of our discussion, the manager remarked that it was kind of me not to lodge a complaint about the officer downstairs. I simply smiled and said nothing further.
As I was leaving the bank, I encountered the officer again. He immediately approached me and apologized profusely for the earlier misunderstanding. I reassured him by saying, "You're just doing your job."
In truth, I understood his position. From his perspective, there was no appointment recorded in the system, and he was merely following established procedures. The issue was not his diligence but rather the incomplete information available to him at the time.
The experience reminded me that assumptions can sometimes lead to premature conclusions. It is often better to fully understand a person's purpose and requirements before presuming the scope of the discussion.