The child, the grandmother, and the leaky roof
Part 1 of a series on how to communicate to executives, stakeholders, and developers at the right level of detail
It was February and the roof of the home we’d recently purchased was leaking. The snow on the roof was melting and a steady stream of water was dripping out of my kitchen cabinets, all over my countertops and onto the floor. The conversations I had over the next few hours looked something like this:
Me => mother-in-law: My roof is leaking. Can you watch our daughter while we fix this? Do you have a recommendation for a roofer?
Me => 5-year-old child: Please pack an overnight bag. You’re going to Grandma’s house until Daddy and I can figure out how to make our roof stop leaking.
Me => roofing contractor: My roof is leaking. Can you please come quickly to help me assess the problem?
Roofing contractor => me, after asking pertinent questions about the roof, it’s slope, the direction it faces, and snow cover: You probably have an ice dam. I am not the right person to help you right now. Call this contractor instead, then call me and I’ll look at it after it’s removed.
Me => ice dam removal company: I probably have an ice dam that’s causing my roof to leak…
