We are deletion creatures!

I was just recently slapped in the face with that realization!

Since I was an underdog for some time growing up, it’s a passion of mine to help others be the best they can possibly be. I’ve done this many times with many folks over the years and it seems rewarding.?I say seems because during a follow up meeting with a "friend" I was slapped in the face with a reality and I would like to share my experience with my LinkedIn family.

First, did you know we are deletion creatures??It’s true, otherwise we would lose our minds with so much information and only one brain to process it all.?It would be nice if we had a defrag option for our brains. We naturally delete things around us so we do not get overwhelmed. ?

The average person forgets 4 important facts, items or events every day.?

So for me it should have not been a surprise when my friend said, “oh, no you did not help me figure that out.”?I was so surprised to hear their response I was speechless.

The back story, my friend is a hard worker and my time is important to me, so I typically focus on helping those who help themselves by hustling and getting the job done.? They were impressed with what I had been able to accomplish with my startup and other companies so when they wanted to start their own company I was excited to they came to me for support.

They were doing design work and did not have much experience with tolerancing parts for interchangeability and ensuring they would not stick together.?It was a sealing surface that was causing them issues and they were adamant about using the tolerances in the o-ring catalog. I reminded them that o-ring manufacturers would actually love a zero gap (that's the space between the two mating parts) so their o-ring will not fail. O-ring seals fail by extruding through the small gap between mating parts. The issue is we can not manufacture interchangeable parts that are designed with a zero gap without them being very expensive. There has to be room for relative movement between the parts and expansion either mechanically or with thermal expansion.

Since I had worked for Halliburton and Baker Hughes as a Project Engineer I was very aware of different tolerancing and gap theories used by both companies.? You might even say since I know how both companies do it differently I would be an expert in sealing technology. I explained to them, since the parts were very large and heavy they would needed extra room to move while sealing.?I even wrote out the tolerances and the gap needed on a piece of paper for reference. ?Yes, it might have been a napkin. Some of the best designs start out on a napkin. The fun part is handing the napkin to the machinist and seeing the look on their face. Ok, back to the story....

The most frustrating part for me was the first time I gave them the specifications for the correct tolerancing they did not use it. They ended up having a serious failure in the field, the tools ended up stuck together. They had to shut down the job and send the parts back still stuck together. When they called me about the issue I knew right away they didn't use the recommended tolerance gap I specified.

After the failure in the field I was upset that they had not listened to me so I sat down with them yet again and took more time to explain the tolerancing and the gap needed with more detail. I explained why I chose the tolerance and why the gap was so important.?We spent a considerate amount of time on it and I asked qualifying questions to make sure they understood.?

So a while goes by and I don’t hear much, sent a text and received a report that things were going well for the company, I was glad, I know all too well about the rollercoaster of challenges companies ride on daily. But there was still something missing? A thank you? I've written this article many times over. I've even taken a couple of days to consider the other side of this situation. There's obviously two sides to the story.

Time goes on and we had not seen each other in a while so I contacted them to have lunch and during our lunch I said something like, I'm paraphrasing, "I’m glad those recommendations worked out" and they said, "oh, no we didn’t do anything you recommended, we ended up using a different seal, you just pointed out an angle and not much more."?I was not sure how to respond at that point. It was very disappointing to hear that.

Little did they know the seal has nothing to do with gaping for parts not sticking together.? Plus when they were trying to figure out why they were having a failure I had to convince them it was the tolerancing and the gap that was causing the issues.

To summarize, please be sure to document what was important in your discussion, like a follow up email or text outlining what was discussed.?I’m not holding this against the company, they are human just like the rest of us.?I’m hopeful someone reading this will take note and they’ll be at the very least open to understand what's really happening. Maybe even consider thanking someone for their contributions.?Also, I'm hopeful this will bring closure and understanding to others that have worked hard to support someone else and not received a simple thank you. ?

This is another reason why I’m moving to a paid platform for my services as the ones that see value and pay for it, will receive the value and use it.?Up until a few months back I've been helping folks for free, saving them millions. An happy to do it until something like this happens.

One thing I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older, is the more I know, the more I realize I don’t know.?If I could go back in time I would definitely hire a coach or a consultant to help me build my business.?Sure we've done well, I can only imagine how well we could have done with someone that had gone before us and showed us the way instead of doing everything our own.

About Steve Crow

He leads with integrity and heart in everything he does, he strives to help others find their wings and loves watching them soar to heights they never thought possible. One person/company at a time, it never gets old witnessing breakthroughs. Click my name and let's talk, should we work together, I can guarantee your life will never be the same.