During my last trip to India I spoke at two events. In one of the events, someone complained that a bestselling author was not wiling to give thirty minutes of her time to discuss a particular issue. His point was that it was just thirty minutes – nothing much.
We had a healthy debate about why it was “just thirty minutes” for him but a series of “just thirty minutes” for the bestselling author. He is not the only person who would have requested “just thirty minutes” from this author and if she accepted all such requests she wouldn’t have time to get anything done on her end.
Honestly, I told him that if he had made a case as to why spending thirty minutes with him is an “opportunity” for the bestselling author there was a good chance that he would have got more than thirty minutes. And, if he can’t be an “opportunity” for her right now, he will be an “opportunity cost” for her.
Opportunities are taken and opportunity costs are shunned typically.
Two other people have written about “just thirty minutes” in a different context. Here they are:
1. Nicole at Kicking Sand: No. You Can’t Pick My Brain
2. Kevin Dugan at Strategic Public Relations: Can I Pick Your Brain?
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