Initial Meeting is Done

The meeting with the overseas team went well. It started an hour earlier and I anticipated that they would make a mistake in the local time. So I got up an hour early and sat beside the phone and read through the notes I prepared the evening before. I followed the lessons I learned from the recent seminar on negotiations. So I prepared a one page summary on the areas I wanted to focus on, the items I wanted to highlight to them and the questions I wanted to ask.

So I was prepared when the call came and I went through the list. I wanted to stay on the message as they say and speak on the notes. I was afraid that I would go off-tangent from the subject at hand. The overseas team were very friendly and I like the way they handled the meeting. I think I was able to show the appropriate attitude but there where times when I did not know how to react. During this awkward moments, I just laughed and said that it was too early in the morning for me. Implying that I was a bit slow because I just woke up.

But it was a good first meeting and I feel happy about the results. I shared this knowledge with a few people at work like the Asian regional boss, project office head and department accountant. I could not help but feel that it's a done deal. I mentioned that I will be ready by the first or second quarter of next year. I am surprised at my confidence and I often feel insecure of these situations where a good outcome is expected but I always expect the worse. Perhaps there is really a good ending in the story. But it will be the best ending that anyone could ever hope for.

The people I talked today about this pending transfer where all very positive and were happy about me. It was actually the first time I felt such good will and hope. There were episodes when I had similar good fortune but expressions of good wishes from others where taken with a grain of salt. Now it seemed that the stars are finally aligned in my favor. But still I can't help but feel that someone will throw a wrench into the works. There is always some one waiting in the wings ready to make life miserable to other people.

I guess it's the cynic in me. Yesterday eveing after work I went to the Toastmaster meeting and I had a feeling that something will not turn out right. I was a bit late but I found the club and joined the meeting. It was a good session and I participated in table topics and speech evaluation. I did not win any awards though I felt I had a chance. But this club had a larger number of distinguished speakers unlike the club I belong in. It was a good evening and I think it prepared me for the meeting the next morning with the overseas team.