Pointing at my husband the airline ticket agent proclaims, “You can go.” She points at me and states, “You can’t go.”
We are trying to go from Dallas to Argentina.
“What do you mean?” we asked.
“Your passport number is incorrect on your Argentinian Reciprocity Form, Mrs. Reisman.”
We already had a theme for this two-week trip that included ten different Argentinian flights, multiple stops, and lots of details — “Go With The Flow”.
We did NOT think we’d be putting our theme to the test before even going through security at our own DFW Airport!
“How can we get this fixed?” we asked the not-very-charming ticket agent. “Go to the Business Center at the Hyatt next door, use their computers, buy another Reciprocity Form, print it out, and come back. Good luck.”
We look at each other and say, “Go with the flow!”
Even though I travel with a computer, I don’t have a printer, so off we go with our luggage to get this illusive form. It’s been a long time since I’ve used a public computer. After buying 15 minutes of computer time – with that clock ticking too – we find the website, enter the correct info, and press “submit”. The site replies, “Your form will be sent to your email within five days.” OMG. Then it provides the option: “If you want it expedited click here and you will be charged another $30 and that was on top of a service fee of $20. Done, done and done.
We schlep our bags back to the not-very-charming ticket agent. She smiles. Off we went.
My wonderful and efficient husband used a passport number for me that expired ten years ago. I printed out the form and never reviewed anything on the page. Where am I going here? Straight to the blame game. Don’t go there. You never win this game! The problem exists – go fix it. That’s it!
In this case, both of us screwed up anyway. Which takes us to lesson number two: Go with the flow.
Whether you’re traveling, running a company, or giving a speech here’s how to get what you want:
1. Don’t play the blame game when something goes awry.
2. Go with the flow.
Karen Cortell Reisman, M.S., author of 3 books and President of Speak For Yourself®, works with organizations on how to communicate to make more money. It’s all in how you speak for yourself. Read more at www.SpeakForYourself.com/blog/
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