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August 10, 2004

Perceptions

People can be surprising.

I've been working on a project at my job for a few months now. It hasn't seemed to be going well at all; I have had to get my boss involved with it, the person with whom I've been working has been slow to turn around emails and phone calls from me asking for more information (or any info at all!), and deadlines have been something of a moving target.

And then today my boss forwards to me an email she received in which the person with whom I've been working praises the job I've done, says I'm the best writer with whom she has worked, and thinks all of the documents I've done for her are top-notch.

Just goes to show that our perceptions become our reality and that other people may not share in our vision.

What a surprise.

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous5:04 PM

    I find that co-workers usually do not tell you about how they feel about your work on a project. But when they do, those words can totally change your attitude about the project itself! I think it's difficult for some people to commit to commenting on a peer's work, perhaps out of fear of not trusting their own judgment. But if someone comes forward and says something either positive or negative, that can influence a whole group of people! It's interesting how minds often think.... - Daralee

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  2. Anonymous12:27 PM

    Some of us have such high expectations for our own performance that it skews how others see us; others have such low expectations of their own performance and what they expect from others that they are awed by what used to be called simply meeting expectations for a job well-done. Communication, however, is a give-and-take, not a contest to see who can remain in power longest by parsing out and/or withholding key pieces of information that leads toward completion of a project and earning a job well-done status. Perhaps the person with whom you have been working needs to review the concept of working cooperatively so everyone gets the job done and earns the "attaboy" for doing it well.

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