At work last tuesday we had a 'surprise' meeting. I say surprise not because I didn't know about the meeting, but surprise because I was completely unprepared and had no idea what to expect. It was with all of my colleagues in internal sales, with our manager, the sales manager, and the company general manager.
I had no idea what to expect.
So we start and my the general manager asks if how my German is. Just to be really sarcastic I say ' oh, it's perfect' and he clearly called my bluff and says good...you're taking the minutes. I thought I was just going to have to keep quiet the whole time. Not the case. He then starts with the person two chairs down from me and asks on how everything is going with what he is doing. I'm still panicking because I have no idea what to write. What is important enough to write down. More importantly what am I going to say when he gets to me. I'm panicking slightly. Then he stops halfway and says, why havn't you written anything. We've been talking for 15 minutes and there is nothing written down. Sirrr....I don't know what to write. Then we get to me and I say my little bit about how it's frustrating to have to time zone delay with my colleagues in the US. So it looks like I'm going to be working later a little bit more often, which I am not upset about, it's kind of nice to work when it is quieter.
Anyways, the meeting proceeds, details aren't really that important. But then I have to write up all these notes I've taken, which are some nearly indecipherable combination of German and English nonsense. I understand everything that happened, but to reproduce it all in German is a little daunting. I recruit my co-worker to come help me write this thing up because I don't even know what is expected of me.
We finish everything and send it off and I think thank goodness it will be someone else's turn next time.
The next day I'm talking to this co-worker again and she tells me that the General Manager asked her if I wrote the whole thing myself. She says that she helped me a little. He says that he is so impressed and that my German is perfect.
WHYYYY!!!!???
Now there is going to be way more expectations from me.....
This can go either one of two ways. Now he will just automatically assume my German is good and become more impressed and will get me more opportunities, but more likely he will find out that my German is not good as he thinks it is, and the whole rouse will be discovered.
I'm hoping that it will be the first situation that happens. That the first impression will affect his view of me from here on forward.
