We Goofed! (Warning: Don't Leave the "Geeks" In Charge)

Go easy on the geek, I'm one too, and I can almost guarantee that he is more bothered by this incident than you are!

I bet he is too.

It is sad to see public disciplining. We all make mistakes, and, probably, no one was hurt in this one. After this email, if I was the \"geek\" who was \"confined to his cubicle for the forseable future\", I would be long gone from this company. I will not be referring to this site again due to the apparent arrogance and pride of the writer. although, this will probably not be posted, I hope that the message is relayed to the appropriate person.

Dear Nancy; (And whoever else ventures here...) This was written in good fun in a collaborative effort with the \"geek\" in question who thoroughly enjoyed the whole process. No harm was done, or intended. Geeks like to have fun like anyone else and so we did. This was not public disciplining but rather an attempt at light humor in the midst of an honest mistake.

I agree with you Michael. Nancy, I am the one who wrote the initial comment, and I meant the reply in humor just as Michael did in the original email. I honestly don't even believe that the geek (for lack of a name here, but I take it as a complement myself) has a cubicle but rather a nice office, works from home a lot, and is well compensated by this company enough that he probably does not even consider money an issue! I know I don't. Please don't deny yourself the privilege of the wisdom and knowledge God gives this company to pass on to us in the business world; it would only handicap you. And I can personally attest to the good will and sincere commitment of this company to both it's customers and employees.

Well, as the \"Geek\" in question, I think I should be able to clear a few things up. ;)

First, I can assure you that the blog post and today's e-mail are all in good fun.

I did, in fact, hit the \"send\" button on Friday and the whole thing made perfect sense to me at the time. When Michael called me, it started to click with me that perhaps other people might not notice the price. I'll admit. It was hard to find it. Since Michael hadn't seen the final version before it went out, he felt like we should re-run it with the price more noticeable.

Secondly, when Michael proposed that we re-run it with a little humor, I was already thinking along the same lines. So, I actually helped design the final look of the version that went out today. I thought it was hilarious. We decided to make light of the fact that sometimes when a company relies on technology-oriented people (as most companies do these days), sometimes we (the \"geeks\") don't quite see things the same way that everyone else does. This is true. It's part of our charm.

(In case you're wondering, we really DO think differently. :D )

Thirdly, for the record... I am not confined anywhere. In fact, as I write this, I'm taking a lunch break at a coffee shop where I have my laptop connected to my (yes, I am a \"geek\") cell phone. The cell phone has internet access here at the cafe, where for some reason the \"wi-fi\" isn't working.

We had hoped that the \"confinement to the cubicle\" would be seen as humorous. Since imprisonment is actually against the law (isn't it?), I didn't imagine that anyone would take it seriously... and I'm quite certain that Michael didn't either!

So... to Nancy, I'm sorry you perceived this as \"Public Disciplining.\" It was anything but that. We all had a good laugh at what took place... and we thought everybody else should, too.

And, to my fellow \"geeks\" out there - Beth included - I'm sure you guys and gals all know that this was just good fun. After all, we stopped wearing those horn-rimmed glasses with tape on them a long, long time ago. (The contacts work much better and don't seem to ever need tape... at least MINE haven't!)

And since pocket protectors and slide rules have now been replaced by keychain wi-fi network location devices and USB missile launchers, the stereotypical \"geek\" of yesterday is getting harder and harder to come by! We have to wear things like caffeine molecule t-shirts and \"I dream in PHP\" hats. But some things only a few of us \"get.\" Oh well!

So... for everybody taking the time to read this, I hope you see the humor in this and actually get your hands on the sales training materials. We've been working very hard to make them available in downloadable form. And we appreciate the \"Thank You\" e-mails from all of you (particularly the international readers) who have been particularly vocal about having access to the MP3 files.

And Beth - you were right. I did take it a little hard... I do have a nice office... and I do work from home a lot... particularly late at night when we're trying to solve the technical problems of people from faraway places like Indonesia. And... I love every minute of it!

Now Michael... about that raise... :)

Nancy: I too know this organization and the person in question. It was indeed an innocent mistake and the \"Geek\" in question is having a good time with this. Thanks for your concern, but I assure that it was all in good fun and being enjoyed by all!

One of those USB missile launchers I want! Going shopping I am. Do that you can not, David, to work you must go! Going I am to a galaxy far, far, away! (Sorry, just had to take it to the next level!) Blessings everyone!

:D Beth: \"Do or do not. There is no try.\" Blessings!

Funny thing I still don't see a price.

Stan, Do you see a picture of the \"nerd\" at the top of the page you're looking at? I want to make sure you're seeing the new version of the website that was linked to in the e-mail. If you don't see that picture (along with the handwritten note from Michael), when you're looking at the page, please hit the \"Refresh\" or \"Reload\" button in your web browser. The prices are very strongly highlighted on the latest version of the page. :) Let me know! \"The Geek\"

Frankly, I saw the ad and it wasn't really in the \"fine print\" -- it was not that difficult to find, and it was in a big pricing section paragraph which clearly referred to the \"cost\" of the program. Frankly, I admire the Geek and think Michael is a world-class Type-A \"Jerk\". I would love to have David post a new special offering of 50% off (written in fine print) of one of Michael's future products (he could call it, \"Managing As Wolves\"), to make up for the rude, offensive, and clearly non-Christian behavior of Michael.

You've GOT to be kidding!

Tiger; Thank you for caring enough to share. You might want to read the post from the \"geek\" before you permanently label me a world class jerk. My thanks to Beth Alicea and others for having a sense of humor... (o-;

I've always said, \"You know you're in God's will when the world is attacking you!\" This has really gotten immature and silly now though. It was fun for awhile, but I think it's about time to just get over it! Michael, you should put a poll up on your site so we can vote on the most unneccesary (or childish, or immature) blog - even if I have just participated in the clear winner!

lpl

Correction: lol (o-;

I'm sure you have better things to do with your time than read over this stuff and actually reply! It's been fun though! God bless you for all your hard work and obedience, you have made a huge difference in my family and my business! Blessings!

Beth; I kept looking to see if Nancy or Tiger would retract their comments... Oh well.

It doesn't really matter. Just pray for them. God's teaching us and them something...

I'm nearly speechless. I guess I should say that I'm flattered by the admiration, but I simply can't concur with the assessment of Michael as a world-class Type-A \"jerk.\" Does it strike anyone but me as slightly ironic that the author of that assessment referred to Michael's behavior as \"non-Christian?\" Just wondering.

Well, I was speechless! That doesn't happen very often! I seriously doubt, to the accuser's credit, that he has ever listened to or read any of Michael's materials. But, \"Satan is the accuser of the brethren,\" right?

Wow, so many colorful comments.... this is a very lively dialogue. I should not perhaps have aimed my derision at Michael directly, but instead at his action. While perhaps many of you know Michael, his heart, his faith, etc... I do not know these things, and therefore, I should not have derided him personally. But what I do know is at least one \"action\" of his that I find, and I can see that some others have also found to be pretty uncalled for, and not what I think Jesus would have done in the same situation. Regardless of who Michael is as a man or Christian, and regardless of what his motives were, it seriously seems to have been a very poor mistake in judgment and resulting action to so loudly proclaim that a \"geek\" in our organization goofed, and therefore bla bla bla.... The better approach would have been for Michael, I believe, to take ownership and responsibility for his organization and to simply say, \"We goofed; sorry, here is a discount.\" But to focus so much on an individual person, and jokingly refer to him as a \"geek,\" and indicate that he will not be making these kinds of important decisions anymore, and that companies should trust their geeks.... is that really what Jesus would do? Is that really, despite how light-hearted it was spoken, the best way to treat David? Do you honestly believe that anyone, no matter how much they realize it was done in jest, would not still feel even more regretful and remorseful and overall \"bad\" about the whole situation, seeing how much their boss has plastered the situation -- and the blame -- so blatantly over a series of posts on a Christian web site? All this has done now is create a whole lot of gossip, and even a blog, about a guy named David who really didn't make any more of a mistake than anyone else would make, including Michael. In fact, not even a mistake, but more a difference in opinion and judgment than how Michael would have handled it. Not necessarily, in my opinion, even a worse judgment than Michael would have made. Has this situation led to any good for David? Has this been a situation in which David, a man of God, has been lifted up, encouraged, promoted? How many blog postings ever written where he specifically called out the \"good\" things that his employees have done.... Just curious. Even so, even if he does give lots of public encouragement and praise to his employees, I still think that Jesus would not have publicly \"called out\" David had he been his boss, in this situation. Jesus called out the Pharisees and Saducees...not his disciples, unless it was directly to them. So I just feel that if anyone acted as an \"accuser of the brethren,\" that it was sort of a person who accused his brother of making such an egregious mistake that we must now apologize for our \"geeks\" errors of his way, and now offer everyone a 50% discount on a product to compensate for his error...and by the way, we've learned never to \"trust\" our \"geek\" to important matters like this, and neither should you (because of what our \"geek\" has done).... How much does this kind of \"light-hearted\" promotion really lift up and encourage our brother, who already probably feels like doo-doo because of the whole situation? I totally respect that most of you, who are responding so incredulously at my original post, either know Michael personally or know of his heart through his books, posts, etc. And therefore, it doesn't surprise me, and I think it is the right thing, that you would vehemently stand up for his integrity, heart, etc. And that is the right thing to do, when someone, including myself, appears to be attacking the man himself. But now with my clarification, please know that I'm attacking the action itself, not the man, and that regardless of how great a guy the \"actor\" is, I think the action overall was in very poor taste. That was my impression after reading the various blogs and posts by Michael in response to the error....and if I believe it was an unfortunate action that did nothing positive for David, and others believe it, then perhaps there just might be some validity to it. But I will stop with my responses now, and I do appreciate all of your comments and responses. It is great that we are in a free country, and that as Christians we can also agree and still remain in unity as to who our great God and Savior is, Jesus Christ.

Just joined and came across this. Very complex! Guess that's the problem with e-mail - you can't hear the tone, see the wink or grin (unless they think to put the little picture in!)

Interesting posting, although I would love to have the 50% Discount again. Anychance that the 1 day special will be repeated again?? I lived and will be buying from 3rd world country overseas, so any discount will be greatly welcomed! Sorry the posting is liked... exactly 1 year late, but interesting postings. I'll admit at the first look, the humour seems little bit rude, but hey, I'm Asian looking from a very Asian perspective, so probably the comment doesn't apply to American culture. Anyway, late comment, like I said. So, any 50% discount coming up???