To expand on my first 'Random' bullet point: I really dislike it when people spin their comments in order to tell me what they think I want to hear.
I know a little about the Mexican culture and I've had first hand testimony of most Mexicans strong inclination to please. I grew up in Central CA and had a few close friends who were Mexican. I can't say that those particular friends went out of their way to please me, but they were older than me and they were more of the mentor type relationships.
That first hand testimony was from my brother. He lived in Mexico for a few years and was a plant manager there. It didn't take him long to discover that his subordinates strong inclination to please him affected how they communicated to him. If he asked them, "Did you meet your goals today?" they would say "Yes!" even if they didn't meet the goals set for them. Being the American I am, I would probably not take that very well. I would consider that lying. But my brother discovered that they had no intention of lying to him and what they meant by "Yes!" was that they did their best.
But I live in and work with Americans. Even if I did have someone communicate to me in that manner, I would correct them and ask them to tell me if they met their goals or not. When I ask "Did you meet your goals?", I'm not asking, "How do you think you did today?" If they didn't meet their goals, then that would prompt another question, "Why not?"
I want people to be direct with me. Not to fudge the truth or spin their comments according to what they think I want to hear. I have a huge problem with people lying to me and just don't stand for that in my employees. That's a good way for them to lose their job. But when I ask for their thoughts about things, I have a few guys that read into my questions. I've gotten a lot better at asking non-leading questions, so it's pretty obvious when they stumble through their response and are trying to come up with something that I'll like. Stop it!
That really is the key though. Ask questions that don't lead people to the answer. Asking questions that require a 'yes' or 'no' is another way, but not when you really do want to hear their thoughts.
- "You did a good job on this, but can you think of any ways to make it better?"
- "I'm not really sure how to fix this. What do you think?"
Of course, there have been more than a few times I intended to lead the answer. Maybe it's not always fair to test people that way, but sometimes it's a good way to discover someones character, skill set, or perceptiveness.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Random...very random
- I wish people would stop telling me what they think I want to hear.
- Why is the 'squeaky wheel' (that needs the oil) so much squeakier than the next squeakiest wheel?
- Donuts will be my demise.
- If stereotypes weren't at least somewhat accurate, they would never have been conceived.
- I saw a tall truck driver with his red sweat pants tucked into his old school cowboy boots, his old school brown western shirt not tucked in and missing the top 3 buttons, topped off by what I think was a woman's cowboy hat.
- I've been searching up and down, all over this office, looking for my camera-computer cord. It's hooked to my computer!! I feel like an idiot...cause I am one.
- So many ideas....not enough resources to have someone else do it....and without the know-how to do it myself. How frustrating.
- And on a positive note, 1+1=2.
- Why is the 'squeaky wheel' (that needs the oil) so much squeakier than the next squeakiest wheel?
- Donuts will be my demise.
- If stereotypes weren't at least somewhat accurate, they would never have been conceived.
- I saw a tall truck driver with his red sweat pants tucked into his old school cowboy boots, his old school brown western shirt not tucked in and missing the top 3 buttons, topped off by what I think was a woman's cowboy hat.
- I've been searching up and down, all over this office, looking for my camera-computer cord. It's hooked to my computer!! I feel like an idiot...cause I am one.
- So many ideas....not enough resources to have someone else do it....and without the know-how to do it myself. How frustrating.
- And on a positive note, 1+1=2.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Slightly ugly breath?
I've stayed away from coffee from coffee for 3 whole days now!
A couple things I've discovered:
- I enjoyed coffee more than I realized.
- Coffee smells good and it sucks that the coffee pot is so close.
- Haven't had any headaches yet. Still crossing my fingers.
- In addition to brushing, flossing every night and using mouthwash in the mornings, I think my breath is ok now. I did that before, but not regularly and was sabotaging my efforts anyway.
Haven't had to revert to tea or hot cider or anything like that. Water seems to be holding its own.
A couple things I've discovered:
- I enjoyed coffee more than I realized.
- Coffee smells good and it sucks that the coffee pot is so close.
- Haven't had any headaches yet. Still crossing my fingers.
- In addition to brushing, flossing every night and using mouthwash in the mornings, I think my breath is ok now. I did that before, but not regularly and was sabotaging my efforts anyway.
Haven't had to revert to tea or hot cider or anything like that. Water seems to be holding its own.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Bloggerific trends!
I spent more than a little time clicking that little "next blog" button at the top of my screen tonight. I didn't count the number of blogs I glanced at, but I'm sure it was more than 50. It didn't take long to discover some trends.
1. The majority of what I saw was in a foreign language. Foreign to me anyway... Primarily Spanish (I think), but with a dose of some Asian languages and a couple of Eastern European.
2. Photography blogs are popular. I could even tell the ones that were in a foreign language.
3. A healthy mix of personal and professional blogs, although there were a few that handled both. Not many that were obviously selling something though. It seemed to be people trying to make a hobby a little more worthwhile than just a pastime.
4. Then there were the topical blogs. Talk about very specific! I mean really, one just for the vegetarian haunts of Singapore? Maybe that's a really popular topic there, but who knew...?
5. Then there were the travelers. I don't know where the people started out, but there are more than a few that use blogs to archive their adventures. I think that's cool!
6. Then there are the family blogs. Most I saw were handled by the wife/mom, but a few seemed to be a hub & wifey collaboration. What a great way to keep family & friends up to date! Lots of good amateur photogs out there too! I did notice however that family blogs had mostly other families in their 'blog friends' list. Not saying there's anything to that, but thought it was something to mention. Although I'm certain it's just a means to show off the kids. :)
7. Women. Most are written by women. In fact...I would guesstimate that 80% of them are. Where's all the guys! I found a couple by guys and subscribed, so maybe I'll find that elusive male blogger network that must be as prolific as the female one.... Yeah, right.
It was interesting...to say the least.
EDIT: I forgot about the student's blogs! I think it's a fantastic idea for students of creative studies to use blogs as their portfolio. There are quite a few young people that seem to be far more self aware than I remember being at that age. Go for it!
1. The majority of what I saw was in a foreign language. Foreign to me anyway... Primarily Spanish (I think), but with a dose of some Asian languages and a couple of Eastern European.
2. Photography blogs are popular. I could even tell the ones that were in a foreign language.
3. A healthy mix of personal and professional blogs, although there were a few that handled both. Not many that were obviously selling something though. It seemed to be people trying to make a hobby a little more worthwhile than just a pastime.
4. Then there were the topical blogs. Talk about very specific! I mean really, one just for the vegetarian haunts of Singapore? Maybe that's a really popular topic there, but who knew...?
5. Then there were the travelers. I don't know where the people started out, but there are more than a few that use blogs to archive their adventures. I think that's cool!
6. Then there are the family blogs. Most I saw were handled by the wife/mom, but a few seemed to be a hub & wifey collaboration. What a great way to keep family & friends up to date! Lots of good amateur photogs out there too! I did notice however that family blogs had mostly other families in their 'blog friends' list. Not saying there's anything to that, but thought it was something to mention. Although I'm certain it's just a means to show off the kids. :)
7. Women. Most are written by women. In fact...I would guesstimate that 80% of them are. Where's all the guys! I found a couple by guys and subscribed, so maybe I'll find that elusive male blogger network that must be as prolific as the female one.... Yeah, right.
It was interesting...to say the least.
EDIT: I forgot about the student's blogs! I think it's a fantastic idea for students of creative studies to use blogs as their portfolio. There are quite a few young people that seem to be far more self aware than I remember being at that age. Go for it!
Monster breath!
I really need to stop drinking so much coffee.
- For one thing, the stuff here at work is terrible, but it's all of 12 feet from my desk.
- For another, I know it's not good for my breath. And I think it's been getting worse.
- While the caffeine isn't my biggest concern, I'm sure it doesn't help when I'm stressed...as I have been lately.
- I've tried quitting before, but the headaches weren't worth it. If they kick in and I can't work through them without pain relievers, I'll be looking harder for another solution. Maybe tea?
- I think a lot of the habit comes from needing something to hold or do with my hands when I'm not typing, talking, or writing. I think the water bottle can fill that void.
So here we go... I've dumped out my little styrofoam cup of coffee and filled up my water bottle. We'll see how this goes.
- For one thing, the stuff here at work is terrible, but it's all of 12 feet from my desk.
- For another, I know it's not good for my breath. And I think it's been getting worse.
- While the caffeine isn't my biggest concern, I'm sure it doesn't help when I'm stressed...as I have been lately.
- I've tried quitting before, but the headaches weren't worth it. If they kick in and I can't work through them without pain relievers, I'll be looking harder for another solution. Maybe tea?
- I think a lot of the habit comes from needing something to hold or do with my hands when I'm not typing, talking, or writing. I think the water bottle can fill that void.
So here we go... I've dumped out my little styrofoam cup of coffee and filled up my water bottle. We'll see how this goes.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
*insert catchy blog title here*
* Why do I have such a hard time with the blog titles? I know they need to be somewhat 'eye-catching' to promote the most reading, but to have a unique idea every time is a bit beyond me. Yes, my imagination is not fantastical.
* Focus...does anyone have some they can share? Because I need some!
* Hundred different things rolling through my head. God, work, family, life, ideas..... I'm afraid if I write them all down I'll get a little overwhelmed.
* I need to focus. And I mean really focus. I'd like to think that I'm not a scatterbrain, but multitasking almost comes too easily. I want to be able to teach my girls how to focus but am afraid I don't know how.
* I need to start teaching my girls how to play the piano. I know that would help with the focus thing. Let's start with that.
* And if I'm going to post again....I need to come up with some better titles.
* Focus...does anyone have some they can share? Because I need some!
* Hundred different things rolling through my head. God, work, family, life, ideas..... I'm afraid if I write them all down I'll get a little overwhelmed.
* I need to focus. And I mean really focus. I'd like to think that I'm not a scatterbrain, but multitasking almost comes too easily. I want to be able to teach my girls how to focus but am afraid I don't know how.
* I need to start teaching my girls how to play the piano. I know that would help with the focus thing. Let's start with that.
* And if I'm going to post again....I need to come up with some better titles.
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