Mess up a little. You won't regret it .;)
By arkaf61
@arkaf61 (10881)
Canada
July 14, 2009 7:05pm CST
Long time ago I worked in a Portuguese Community School. We had permits to teach in various schools in groups of 3/4 teachers. I was lucky to be in a wonderful group. We really enjoyed what we were doing and all of us believed in taking care of the problems by ourselves. As long as we have teachers, students, and parents there will always be this or that that needs to be taken care of.We preferred to take care of what needed right there and then instead of wasting time - and effectiveness - calling for the principal to come and help. The principal had to run from school to school taking care of what was needed and we didn't need to add to her workload. Our little school worked perfectly and efficiently, except for the fact that because we never called for help, they tended to forget about us LOL They needed to attend to major problems first and we didn't have any. The downside was that we never had the same support as the other groups - no hall monitors, no teacher assistants, etc. They figured since we had no problems we didn't need them.
We used to joke that maybe we should start messing up a little bit here and there, enough to get their attention and get some extra help:)
Many years later I finally realized that it wasn't a joke.
I had two jobs in here. My first job was a ward clerk at a hospital. Other clinics had help and assistants and the whole circus, while me and my nurse never got any because " Your clinics run well and everything is in order, you don't need extra help".
Then I started working with the School Board, and my job is not needed anymore. Because " this school doesn't need help.IL classes are running well, there are no specific behavior problems, parents are satisfied".
I thought efficiency was rewarded. It works well because we do our job, and do it well. We take care of what happens right at that time and make sure contact between us, students and parents continues throughout the year.
In total 8 Program Facilitators are at risk of loosing hours or having to move school because their work is done properly. WHile some others are keeping the same jobs they had, because they aren't as efficient, and there are problems in those schools.
It was not a joke after all. Apparently it's better if we mess up here and there, have problems we can't solve, and ask for help consistently.
End of rant.
Have you ever done a job well just to learn that maybe it was better if you had made a mistake or two?
4 people like this
5 responses
@arkaf61 (10881)
• Canada
17 Jul 09
It happens more often than not. Plenty of cuts being made, sometimes not the wisest ones, but things are changing.
I'll go on remembering to mess up every once in a while - not that I don't know, but I usually fix it before it becomes a problem LOL
1 person likes this
@gabs8513 (48686)
• United Kingdom
15 Jul 09
Yes I am afraid that is the Problem, which is so wrong but then if you mess up to long and to much it could cost you your Job, there is no happy Medium, it is wrong that this is how it works
The Army was a prime example, get rid of all the experienced Soldiers as they knew what they where doing, but make them redundant anyway
I think it is best to actually try not to be to efficient in todays World, as it does not pay of any more
@GardenGerty (169505)
• United States
15 Jul 09
Very much so. I try to be the super person. People perceive that I do well, so they just give me more work, without additional help. Basically they know that I will get the job done or die trying. I finally had to say the work was too much, and surprise, they gave part of it away to someone else.
@arkaf61 (10881)
• Canada
15 Jul 09
Yes, sometimes we need to ask for help - and it's amazing, we get it:)
Of course, if we don't do it because we don't need, then I would think it would be a good thing.
Guess....not exactly LOL
Gotta remember to go to the blackboard and write " Mess up a little" a milion times hehehehehe
@icehut (508)
•
15 Jul 09
I think the phrase for this is "Job Security..." When you're slow, you're inefficient and lazy... When you're too fast, you're too efficient and become redundant because you have too much time.
I like to be efficient with my work, optimising repetitive tasks to leave me more free time and to reduce interruptions to the company. For instance, software vendor insisted on sending their technician to perform updates to their software on every computer, one by one since they did not implement a server-based rollout - would've taken days to complete. I spend a couple of hours examining the specifics of their update, which apparently required their technician to perform, and create a single rollout solution that allowed me to perform all updates in the comfort of my chair. So, I saved on time, wasted journeys to the various locations and negated the interruptions of the visiting tech... But, hey! I'm perceived to have been just sitting around... Guess I should've let the tech do it his "I'm working" way.
1 person likes this
@zed_k4 (17589)
• Singapore
17 Jul 09
I think the desire to become perfect in jobs that we do can tend to make us feel and behave in a certain kind of way, close to being a perfectionist..
I try to be as efficient as possible in my areas of work, and I get irritated with myself if that level of efficiency is not met. Call it sub-conscious or what, I find this to be a flaw as well as a good positive vibe for me to achieve at times.
Keep the adrenaline pumping, so to speak and stimulate the mind.. 
1 person likes this
