Remind me that I know these things about work
1. It’s no good having great ideas if you don’t take the time to get buy in from your colleagues.
2. Different people have different ways of processing the information you are giving them. They take different amounts of time to absorb it. Wait for them to absorb it.
3. Different people respond in different ways depending on how the information is delivered to them. Listen properly to how they’re responding.
4. When people ask you questions about a project, often they’re really asking something else.
5. Pay attention to the people who aren’t asking you questions. Why are they not asking questions.
6. Smiling and nodding doesn’t mean they understand.
7. Saying nothing doesn’t mean they agree with you.
8. Slow down and make sure everybody understands what the heck you are talking about.
9. Be aware that you have a habit of unwittingly alienating people.
10. Remember that you are not the place where you work. Don’t let their culture suck the soul out of your own.
11. Remember that, beyond these walls, you have worked in the past, and will work with again, people who share the same broad goals, who are broadly like minded, who place the same value on integrity and quality and transparency that you do.
12. Don’t be drawn into their tunnel vision.
13. Admire the people who can work only in straight lines, it is a quality that you do not possess.
14. Do not take personally the methods and demands of people who can only work in straight lines. It’s the way they were built. Learn to accommodate them and make the most of their strengths.
This list is sure to get longer, but for now there's no more time.
Please do add your own. I fear I've fallen off the learning curve of late. I was reminded about it yesterday afternoon when I met with some old friends/colleagues (and by old, I mean that they began their writing careers in the 60's and 70's). They are my heroes.
posted by dodo @ 1:22 pm
4 Comments:
Oh how I wish that people would just say what they mean and mean what they say. In business however this rarely happens. It's a mine field! Good blogging, girl!
I'm glad I don't work in business, I can just be nice to my patients.
I really like 13 and 14. It's so hard to appreciate how others think. My husband and I run into this problem all the time. He's very logical and spatial, more like an engineer, whereas, I'm more organic, or as he would put it, like a dog chasing it's tail. I tend to think in pictures and one things leads to another. It causes a lot of conflicts in our marriage because we each think the other is a little thick when in fact, we're just different. And in reality, it's a good thing that we look at problems differently, gives us more options, but it doesn't feel like that sometimes when you're fighting to get something done your way.
This has gone on a little long. I loved your post. Have a good day.
I think these philosophies could be applied to teaching school as well. Especially the one about people absorbing different information in different ways.
These philosophies could be applied to A LOT. And reminding oneself of them is a good, but obviously difficult thing...
Cheers to self-reflection!
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