Distraction can sometimes help to concentrate better

That morning I learned: The best meetings start with a disaster you barely survive.

It was one of many sunny days in San Francisco, more than 10 years ago. I went to a UX conference nearby and used the opportunity to meet with a client.

Mika Jovicic observes sunny morning in Market Street

I walked into the lobby and asked for the person waiting for me. The receptionist told me that she would come in a couple of minutes. It was a pleasant sunny morning; the building was on the main street with a great landscape view. I took a selfie there.

And then - the catastrophe happened. While waiting for the manager, I accidentally spilled my half-liter coffee all over the desk and the floor. You cannot imagine how it looked - it was all clean until then, and suddenly the smell of coffee filled the room. And the manager was coming in a minute!

I was desperately looking for a solution, a quick solution... Eventually, I found a pile of paper towels behind me and started to quickly wipe away the coffee, nervously tossing the used towels in the basket.

...I saw her approaching through the glass window near the room, but luckily she was looking at her phone and the room was looong - I was halfway done cleaning the whole room. I sped up, and when she opened the door, I had the last bit of sweeping to do, hid my hand behind my back, and at the same time - held out my other hand to shake hands and introduce myself.

She was at the time responsible for the product we'd worked on together and was the decision maker. I was just one of many contractors, working with her for the first time. There was simply no room for mistakes, especially not an accidentally spilled coffee all over the entrance area.

Luckily for me, I managed to clean up my mess in time. Doing that distracted me from thinking about what I had to say and how. I was speaking from the heart and straightforwardly, with my heart pumping strongly. I was impressed by the product, talked enthusiastically, and I think I made a good impact. That was a good start. They decided to work with me, and continued for many years to come.

I love drinking coffee. It helped me focus that day, just not the way it usually does.

She only commented, "Can you smell coffee in the air?" while we were leaving the room... ✌️

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