Amie, I'm cracking up! Perfect. You have another market for your work. 😉

Just to be clear, what I was trying to say is that I prefer your version over the three-word one.

"Pick yer battles" may be well intentioned, but it's meaningless unless you know which ones to pick — as your post indicates, there are some out there who have yet to see (or invent) a battle that they would consider passing by.

By delineating exactly which rings are worth tossing one's hat into (reputation-, employment-, or project-impacting), I think you transformed a vague cliche into real & meaningful advice.

Katharine, sometimes you just have to speak up. When they're irate is a good time to do so. You done good. I would've done the same. When they're screeching, there's a good chance they're forming a bad opinion of your work ethic. I bet you took just a little pleasure in setting him straight. 😉

Kimberly, isn't it great to have proof? I hate making someone look foolish, but damn. Sometimes they're so intent on making you out to be a dolt that you just can't let it slide.

I've always been a proponent of the "pick yer battles" philosophy, & I think this is a perfect encapsulation of exactly what types of battles one should choose to engage in.

I doubt that any of us are in danger of running out of customers, clients or colleagues who just don't get it — and should we so choose, we can devote our remaining days in what will ultimately prove to be a vain attempt to set 'em all straight.

Instead, I've found that an important aspect of professionalism is knowing when & how to ignore the slights, accept the inevitable ego-denting slings & arrows, and be the proverbial better person.

Not only does this approach save a lot of time & frustration — & may even help one acquire a few extra doses of positive karma — but I believe that it also gives extra weight to the instances when one does take exception with the words or deeds of another (i.e. the issues that threaten one's reputation, work status or project).

Last December I was working on a nightmare of a project I thought would never end. I started off dealing directly with one guy, but then the co-owner of the business (who happened to be his brother) got involved. He contradicted himself at every turn.

I seethed quietly for the most part, but a couple of times I just HAD to show him his own email and Skype messages proving that I had indeed followed his original instructions. Whew, glad that's over! Lol

I try to be diplomatic — "I'm sorry, I didn't realize you wanted such-and-such, since you didn't say anything about that initially," etc. — but biting my tongue is definitely not something I practice on a daily basis. Phrasing it in a diplomatic fashion doesn't seem to hurt me any, either — usually I also say something to keep it moving forward so that we don't get hung up on who is wrong, but I can't just sit back and allow myself to be wrongfully accused of something, either.