Embarrassing Moment Handled with Humor

I used to live in Acton, a solid hour from Los Angeles. Laguna Niguel is about 90 minutes away from Los Angeles. Got the picture? I was bidding on a job for SmithKline Pharmaceutical taking place in Laguna, and I was asked to drive down to the hotel for a 9:00 a.m. meeting to show them my capabilities. By the end of the day, I showed them much more. But more about that in a bit. Do the math. I had to leave EARLY.

I made some coffee and headed out with a mug-to-go accompanying me. There was traffic. Three-and-a-half hours later (yes, I left very early so I was on time), I arrived and ran not for the meeting but for the ladies' room. Whew, what a relief!

I gathered up my portfolio and whisked myself through the entire hotel to the meeting room and greeted everyone. They smiled, I thought, indulgently. Little did I know.

I gave my capabilities presentation, respectful of my allotted time slot. When I ended and thanked everyone, my contact looked at me and said, "Andrea, do you realize that your skirt in back is tucked into the waistband of your panty hose?" And, folks, all I was wearing beneath my skirt was pantyhose. The folks in the hotel lobby got quite a show.

I replied, "Well, now you've seen my best side," and straightened out my skirt. They laughed, and the client said, "You've got the job. If you can handle this situation so calmly and with humor, you can handle anything."

The Lesson - Even when you embarrass yourself, don’t let it rattle you. People will admire you for it.

Please share one of your embarrassing moments and how you handled it with me.