Hey Siri, I Wasn’t Talking to You

Hey Siri, I Wasn’t Talking to You

Sometimes, when you’re driving, Siri suddenly wakes up and says:

“I’m sorry, I didn’t get that.”

You weren’t talking to Siri.

You weren’t even asking a question.

But somehow, Siri decided you needed an answer.

I once worked with a boss who reminded me of Siri.

You could walk into his office just to keep him informed about something that had happened.

The problem was already solved. The people involved had handled it. Everything was back to normal.

But Siri couldn’t help himself.

“We had a small issue with a shipment this morning, but it’s been resolved.”

“You should have contacted the warehouse first.”

“We did.”

“Well, next time, make sure you check the inventory before making a decision.”

“We checked it.”

“And did you inform the customer?”

“Yes. They were actually quite happy with how we handled it.”

“Good. But you should document what happened.”

“Already done.”

“Excellent. Just make sure you follow up tomorrow.”

“We’ve already scheduled the follow-up.”

A brief silence.

“OK. But next time, you should let me know sooner.”

“I came to tell you as soon as we finished resolving it.”

Another silence.

“Well, that’s exactly what you should do.”

Apparently, Siri always needed the last word.

The funny thing is, nobody had asked for advice.

Nobody needed a solution.

The conversation was simply meant to keep the boss informed.

But somewhere along the way, an update had turned into an unsolicited review of decisions that had already been made.

And that’s where the humor stops being entirely funny.

When someone repeatedly responds before understanding, people eventually stop sharing things.

Not because they have nothing to say.

But because every conversation becomes another opportunity to explain, justify, or defend what they’ve already done.

Listening is not waiting for your turn to answer.

Sometimes, the most useful thing a boss can do is simply listen.

And sometimes, even good advice becomes noise when nobody asked for it.

Especially when it ends with:

“OK. But next time…”

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TPSbyKatsu — Making systems work for people, not the other way around.