Test your feedback/comments functions please

Today I had an opportunity to participate in a discussion group on data quality measures and to provide feedback on my employer's 'once a year' dinner dance party for all employees. I treasure the opportunity to participate in a discussion and to provide feedback because it makes me feel like my voice is heard. I spent a lot of time organizing my thoughts, gathering facts and presenting the information in the appropriate format, order, context....you get the picture. Both times I hit the submit button I received an error. ARRRGHHHH! And you KNOW I won't try it again a second time.

This is not the first time this happened. The last time this happened to me, I got into the habit of saving my text in a word doc in the event that the 'submit' failed to work. But.. I stopped doing that because, well, it's so ridiculous! Feedback is a good thing. It helps you/me/them/ improve and the world is a better place. But please, before you add that option for someone to provide feedback, test it - regularly.

Now go test yours.

Thoughts to ponder: I personally believe we developed language because of our deep inner need to complain. ~Jane Wagner

How to ensure I don't delete your email

How hard is it to write quality communications? If you asked me that question I would say not hard at all. The fundamentals of communication are pretty basic, yet it never fails to amaze me how many perfectly intelligent and competent adults are such poor communicators! One of the most important and simple reasons is because people fail to pay attention to the quality.

What do I mean when I say quality? Easy. When communicating in either verbal or written form quality means that your message is accurate, timely, relevant, concise and brief! No one has time to read novel length communications.

I can't tell you how many emails I receive where the sender is asking for something, however because they feel the need to write a long winded novel I usually end up either deleting it or saving it for later; like when I retire.

Just last week I was the recipient of a document that contained so many spelling errors I was embarrassed for the sender. And this document went out to over 100 people!

And to give an example of poor quality of the other extreme, this morning I received an email with an attachment, no subject in the heading and no supplementary information. What was I supposed to do with it? Naturally I deleted it. If it was important they will call......

So here are some simple guidelines that I follow when writing communications.

Emails

• Add a subject that is relevant to the content. It helps if you later have to search for it.
  
• Provide one or two lines of background information such as how it all started. Tell me the story (a very very short story) behind your request. It will help provide context.
  
• State your request as simply as you can. One or two lines should do. If it takes more than that you should probably call or meet.
• Explain what is the impact of doing or not doing?
  
• List any benefits to the recipient. It always helps you to get what you need.
• Provide a due date and explain why. Also describe the impact of missing the date. If I receive a request with no due date it suggests it is not a priority and goes to the bottom of my list of things to do.
• End your request with a one line summary of your need and give thanks in advance.
  

In General

• Use spell check.
• Read what you've written before you share. Spell check can't differentiate between similar words.
  
• Always add a date to your documentation. You need to know how old it is and therefore if it is still relevant.
  
• Read it over before you send it. Pretend you are some guy off the street. You need to know if it makes sense from someone else 's perspective.

I feel much better now.

Something to ponder: 'I try to leave out the parts that people skip'. ~Elmore Leonard

WTF is with the weather this summer?

I know, it's such a Canadian thing to talk (or post) about the weather. But I just couldn't help myself. What is with all this rain? The last time it rained this much was right after Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991!

I live on the River and have a boat but I can't go boating because it's always raining. We spent a small fortune on a tricked out 'top of the line' wake board and it's sitting in the shed along with all the other water toys. I have a small garden that I like to muck about in but these days 'muck' is only an analogy to describe the soil and waterlogged plants. I planted over 100 garlic bulbs last fall, lovingly added compost, spent a ridiculous amount of money on straw to mulch the babies so they wouldn't freeze this winter - and I could barely harvest them the soil was so wet. I'm lucky I only lost about 5 due to rot. I would have cried...

I know, I shouldn't complain. I have lots to be thankful for. I have a roof over my head so my head is dry. I have a boat which, although it is actually our 'addition on our house' $ wise, I do have a boat. The garlic is harvested and hanging to dry in the shed. The flowers and trees are looking very healthy in a tropical rainforest out of control jungle kind of way. And you have to admit, there is nothing like a walk in the woods on a rainy day!

If this became the norm for summers in Kemptville/Ottawa, I'm sure I could get used to it. After all, I was born in Vancouver, it's in my bones....Now if it was only nice and mild in the winter too.....

The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain. ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Canadian gardening magazines - who are they kidding?

So I'm leafing through a new edition of a famous and trendy Canadian gardening magazine. I couldn't help but notice the lovely garden decor and architectural details. I'm thinking to myself; "well that looks georgeous", but wonder where in Canada this type of decor is feasible.

I mean, who would have thought you could have an outdoor bed including vintage quilts AND a mattress in a mosquito infested yard? And those lovely tall spindle candles, they ought to hold up to a raging thunderstorm, right beside the Laura Ashley table linens!

The 32 potted plants (I counted the pots in one of the features) look beautiful. I don't know about you but I especially enjoy coming home from a long work day and spending the first 60 minutes watering the plants that look to be dying due to the 35C temperatures!

I try to be green and have a rain barrel to collect rainwater to water the plants. It works out well for the first 3 days of a heat wave, but by the 4th day who are we kidding? Screw the rain water! I whip out the hose and water those suckers with the freezing cold well water. They are lucky to get it!

By day 8 of the heatwave I've given up and spend all my 'water arm' muscles on hoisting a couple of cold coronas. The plants start to look much better by the 3rd one!

Ok, it's not that bad. I do love the garden and I have potted up some herbs and flowers (keeping it to a managable number of pots) but I really do wonder where these people in the magazines live?

My humble pots - Happy gardening!

Something to ponder: In gardens, beauty is a by-product. The main business is sex and death. ~Sam Llewelyn

WTF kind of feedback is that?

So I asked for feedback. I appreciate it. It makes what we do that much better. But how is it that some people can give you feedback and you feel as if you won the lottery and yet others scream it in your face like you can never do anything right?

To get ahead in the workplace, any workplace, you need to be able to give and get constructive feedback. I'm the first to admit that I am a tad sensitive and am not THAT good at receiving feedback. But I do ask for it (painful as it may be) and always, always appreciate it and use it to try and make improvements. Yesterday however I asked for feedback and it was given in the same way as a freight train, sledgehammer, cannon shot, bazooka, you get the picture. So I'd like to offer some feedback on how to give feedback.

1/ Always start with positive feedback. If you don't tell someone their work or behavior is good however are they supposed to know?
2/ Ask what it is they are trying to accomplish and what message they are trying to convey.
3/ Give them your perspective as an outsider, NOT a know-it-all.
4/ Do not tell the recipient 5 or even 1 story from your past and how it relates to what they are doing. BORING!
5/ Suggest they also obtain feedback from others. 2 heads are better than 1, 3 are better than 2, you get the picture.
6/ Lighten up for F**ks sake. Don't be so serious. More boring.
7/ End the discussion by summarizing the feedback including the positive. I guarantee you will be sought out again.
8/ Now go for a nice cold corona. Giving good feedback is a tough job and you need to treat yourself.

Something to ponder: Learn all you can from the mistakes of others. You won't have time to make them all yourself. ~Alfred Sheinwold

Too much work!

What is it that makes us work like dogs for our employers? Why do we come in early, stay late, sit at our desk during our lunch, spend all of our time making sure that everyone else gets what they need? What about our needs?

Wouldn't it be nice if our employers, and I'm not talking about our direct leaders, I'm talking about senior management, came to see us, shake our hands, give us a pat on the back and tell us they appreciate our hard work and tell us what a great job we are doing?

I don't care so much for the title, the money, the odd free day off, I'm talking about the big cheese, coming to my desk, calling me by my name, and thanking me for working my ass off.

In honor of this rant, I have submitted a new definition to urban dictionary.com, I hope you like it:

Workover
Workover is when you have way too many projects all at the same time, you didn't have enough to eat as you were too busy working, and as a result you wake up feeling like you have a hangover even though you had nothing to drink. Being Workover is when the work makes you feel that way, not the booze.
"Man I could barely get out of bed today because I was sooooo Workover".

Something to ponder: Leadership is action, not position. ~Donald H. McGannon

Things that pissed me off today.

The things that pissed me off today. There will be other things on other days as always..

1. Bad drivers. Why are there so many of them? Give me a gun so I can shoot out their tires.
2. Bad parkers. They put the lines there for a reason. If you can't do the lines how did you get your licence?
3. Bus talkers. I have talked about this before. If I wanted to chat with you I wouldn't be wearing my headphones.
4. Slow walkers. Really slow walkers. Are they secret millionaires that have nothing else to do?
5. People who use their blackberries in a meeting. Is your time more valuable than mine?
6. TV Commercials. About 2% of them are good, the rest assume we have the intelligence of a tadpole. This is why I don't watch TV.
7. Whiners. Nuff said.
8. Too many restaurants that serve crappy fried food. Who eats this shit? Why are they still in business?
9. Long lines for anything. I don't know about you but I won't stand in line for ANYTHING!
10. People who think that the world revolves around them. As if! At the end of the day, they will only be remembered for the selfishness. How sad.

I feel much better now.

PS, water is down, dock is in, boat is ready to go!

Something to ponder: I can't complain, but sometimes I still do. ~Joe Walsh