My high school chemistry teacher loved to give pop quizzes. And they always surprised me, and I hated them. I still get stressed out and defensive when someone throw a pop quiz my way.
A pop quiz in a business relationship is any test of information that you don’t have access to right at that moment.
Here are some examples:
On a hike, being asked, “How much money is in the business checking account today?”
While at a restaurant, “Did Megan fax back the signed contract that’s due on Friday?”
Visiting with friends at a coffeeshop, “What did we pay to produce the DVD program?”
You get the point. It’s not fair, it’s not fun, and really, there’s no way to win.
Guessing is worse than not knowing because with guessing, you still need to look up the answer when you get back to your desk, and then you have to explain the difference between your answer and the real answer!
So, we've talked about it and agreed not to throw whammies, but occationally one slips in. Here are a few choice responses:
“I’ll be happy to look that up first thing when I’m back in the office, just email me a reminder.”
“I don’t know. Leave a note on my desk, and I’ll tell you then.”
“What’s the molecular weight of Hydrogen?”
