Processes

Here's a story. I've had my bathroom refitted. And that's a process. It began with a planning visit - this was important not just because it was about what was going to be done, but how. I felt confident hiring the fitters based on how that visit went; they were constructive, we kicked ideas around, there were good vibes. I felt that I could trust these guys.

Now, the process wasn't perfect. I was told to buy 6m2 of tiles. I bought 7m2 because contingency is a thing. Turns out - he wrote down 6 instead of 8. An honest mistake. But one we needed to fix.

When there's a mistake, it's tempting to get cross. But we all know that we've made honest mistakes like that. And 'fessing up' may be hard, but it is also the best way to address that mistake.

That's what happened. The fitters 'fessed up'. They apologised. And we worked a solution out (finding out where the missing tiles could be sourced). And the end result was great.

It's also tempting to focus on the imperfections. But I'd bought three different colours of tiles because I thought they looked pretty; I hadn't really thought how that would work in reality. The fitters worked out how to make my impulse purchase work. They designed a graduated theme that was better than what I had imagined. That's a value add. And in the end, that was way more important than the earlier quantitative mistake.

The 'vibes' were also borne out. I have mobility issues so was looking for something that worked for me. And when it came to that, I was involved in the decisions - where to put the handrails, how to set things up. I was included in that, and never felt that this was beneath them - we spent a while working out where to put things and how this would work for me, and I never felt that this was annoying for them.

In conclusion:

- No process will be perfect. But it's much more constructive to address those imperfections and work together to find a solution.

- There may be steps in a process that you haven't considered, but having experts in place can make a big difference.

- If something breaks, think about the context. Don’t panic - it could be something simple, rather than structural.

- 'Vibe' is important - how you feel about the process, how involved you are, how your experts adapt to your specific needs - these are all important considerations.

Also, if anyone in the Montpellier area needs a bathroom refitted, call NiMa Pose - https://www.nimapose.fr/. They are great.