Re: Mixed messages

[Penny Staples <pstaples -at- AIRWIRE -dot- COM>]

Richard Farley said:

> I could use some objective input on an incident that I need closure on.

        <Horror story snipped>

Wow, you've had a rough time with this one. First, don't beat yourself up
over this any more than you already have. And try not to pass judgment on
yourself or on anyone involved. It doesn't do any good, and it can prevent
you from taking a more objective look at what happened. Just pick yourself
up and keep going. There will be other opportunities.

Time will give you a fresh perspective too. Sometimes the most valuable
lessons hurt, but then I guess that's what makes them memorable.
View this as a very important learning experience -- something that will
make you a more competant professional.

Analyse the situation:

- What would you/could you do differently if you ever found yourself
  in a similar situation again?
- Were there warning signs that you missed?
- It seems there was a gap between what you thought they wanted,
  and what they were expecting. How? Why?
- What can you do to avoid having this happen again?

Here's my story:
I had a job once, as a university student, where I was put in charge of a
group of people -- nothing to do with tech writing. I was good at the job
involved, but had never managed people before. By the end of the summer
the staff all hated me and I was miserable. I was let go soon afterward.
At the time, it was a desparately crushing and miserable experience. But
over the years, I've grown to see it as an extremely valuable experience.
In analyzing the situation now, I can see what I could have done
differently,
and I can see things that management could and should have done.
I'm more competant now than I would have been if this had never happened.

Best of luck, and keep going!

Penny Staples
pstaples -at- airwire -dot- com