Is It Ever Appropriate To Say "See, I Told You So"?

Dear Import/Export Compliance Manager,

I’d been trying for the past two years to get improvements to our ERP system so that we could have a better handle on what we’re shipping out.  Now, lo and behold, we have a violation that could have been prevented had we had the system I’ve been asking for.  Is it ever appropriate in the world of trade compliance to say, “See, I told you so!”?

Seeking in Spokane

Dear Seeking,

No.  Simple answers to simple questions.  And it’s such a bad move, the Import/Export Compliance Manager could think of a whopping seven reasons.  Let’s delve into the psychology, shall we?

First of all, no one likes to be reminded that they messed up or were wrong.  The normal human reaction is NOT to silently agree with the person who is rubbing it in their face but rather to have animosity towards that person.  The person who made the mistake today is that same person you will have to work with tomorrow.  In this case, it sounds like the people you are referring to are higher up the food chain than you and likely will be making future decisions affecting the resources you receive and/or how your career progresses.  It is probably not a wise career move to anger them.

Secondly, nobody likes a know-it-all.  OK, you were right.  Great.  When you emphasize that you were right, you are sending a message that ‘Hey, I know better than you.’  You don’t need to say that you were right; it’s already self-evident, presuming you made everyone well aware of the issue and its risks over the past couple of years.  Let the evidence speak for itself.

Thirdly, you may have been right today but what about tomorrow?  When you start throwing out the ‘I’m so smart’ card, you become vulnerable to having your mistakes and other unpleasant occurrences happening on your watch thrown right back at you.  How will that feel?

Fourth, the implication behind ‘I told you so’ is that the other person is, at least partly, an idiot.  But are you sure they were?  What if the decision was made to accept a certain level of risk?  What if there was a miscommunication between you and the person?  What if the person you’re saying ‘I told you so’ to wanted to support you but was rebuffed by THEIR boss?  In that case, a potential ally has been totally lost and you may make an enemy. 

Fifth, you appear in public to be a petty person willing to say things about others to make them look bad (presuming you say ‘I told you so’ in a public setting).  People who are watching might wonder then what you say about THEM.  This makes it less likely people will willingly work with you.

Sixth, you better be darn sure before you say anything of that sort that you are unimpeachably correct.  It’s all the worse for you if you pull out the ‘I told you so’ card only to have it thrown back in your face when, for some reason, part of the blame lies on you.    

Seventh, in case you needed any more reasons, you’ll have waded knee deep into office politics.  Import/export compliance people should attempt, if possible, to be above the fray of office politics.  Now you may have someone higher up hunting for your scalp and able to pin something on you, whether you deserve it or not.  You better have all of your documentation in good order to prove you were doing your utmost to be compliant.

(taking deep breath)

Upon further thought, there may be two situations where saying ‘I told you so’ is a good idea: you either want to get fired or you want to create a poisonous working environment with tons of back-stabbing and mistrust among your co-workers.  Tread carefully, Seeking.