Liam Callahan is an industry expert, but an intellectual who would rather theorize than get things done. He's always full of good ideas that never happen, or that are so grandiose they could never be funded.
When Liam approached me with another good idea, I wanted to decline his lunch invitation in a positive way that left our relationship intact. There are two e-mails below, first his, then mine. (By the way, he never sent the bullet points I requested, confirming my decision.)
From: Liam Callahan [mailto:lical@msn.com]
Sent: September 04, 20— 8:25 AM
To: wsfrank@careerlab.com
Subject: Lunch next week?
Hi Bill,
May I buy you lunch sometime next week? I have an idea for a new human resources model I would like to discuss with you.
Liam
Hi Liam,
I'm really scrambling for the next few weeks, so can't meet face-to-face, but I'm always interested in your idea(s).
You're always out there on the leading edge. Can you give me a few bullet points or an executive summary on it so we can begin discussing?
Thanks,
:B