I was put on the spot in a meeting and asked to explain a fairly complex concept to several colleagues. I completely stuffed it up and embarrassed myself.
My boss was gracious in the moment, but later couldn’t hold back their disappointment and contempt. I tried to explain that I knew the concept very well, but had never had to explain it before. This did not go down well. I’m now seriously considering resigning. I hate the thought that I’m a burden to the team and am taking a role that someone else could do more competently. Is that the best option?
Not being able to explain something under unusual, difficult or simply unexpected circumstances isn’t evidence of incompetence or incapability.Credit: John Shakespeare
If it’s absolutely clear to you that you’re not up to this job I think resignation is very likely best for you and the organisation. Persevering with a job in which you’re completely out of your depth is a form of professional masochism (or sadism, if it’s an employer demanding that you keep going).
But I get the strong sense from everything you’ve said in your question and in your longer explanation of the situation, that you’re capable, and probably very good at your job.
The problem, it seems to me, isn’t ineptitude on your part, but that you’ve had your confidence shaken by your manager’s outburst. And I am not convinced that outburst was fair. The fact your boss showed magnanimity in front of your colleagues is a silver lining (being publicly lambasted is a truly awful experience, especially in a workplace), but I don’t think it makes up for the dirty black cloud that was their private scolding.
Their frustration is understandable if this was a crucial meeting and pivotal question, but contempt is a severe response. And it’s not as if your explanation of what happened was implausible or blatant responsibility shirking. Actually, I think what you experienced, going blank when put on the spot, is far more common than any of us would like to admit.
I remember many years ago needing to tell a boss about the difference between a technical grammatical convention as we worked on an urgent communication job. It was a situation where ambiguity would have caused problems, and the meaning of a sentence hinged on this seemingly small choice between two similar-looking options.
I knew the rule, or more precisely, I knew how to put the rule into practice in a sentence, but when I was asked to explain it with just minutes left before an immovable deadline, I twisted myself in verbal knots and only confused my boss.
I was stressed, yes, but on reflection I realised that part of the problem was that I understood the rule only well enough to employ it correctly; teaching it was another matter entirely.
Source Agencies
