by Lee Fried, on 22 Jul 2007 10:51 am
The Journey
My Walk with Ted–Quote of the Week
As Ted mentioned in his last posting we finally got to catch up in person after a long time of us both working independently in different parts of the organization with the same common goal of transformation. Like always it was a great opportunity to share our frustrations, recognize all the accomplishments (like the pull from our medical group that Ted mentions in his posting) and to coach each other on strategies moving forward and professional development (mostly Ted coaching me).
One thing Ted called out to me during the walk was that I did not realize was my lack of enthusiasm and positivity in my blog postings over the last couple of weeks. This surprised me, because I am very excited about the progress we have been making in the organization with our Lean efforts and have not intended to be negative. I took this feedback and went back and read through my last ten postings and as usual Ted was correct.
So why the negative undertones? I think the root cause has to do with what this blog has become for me. When I first started out it was an experiment. To be honest, Ted persuaded me to give it a try and I reluctantly agreed with a fair amount of whining. My early entries were often forced and I spent a lot of time thinking about what the audience would want to read. As a result a lot of my postings would come out more like PR then interesting content. I believe all of the time I invested in trying to write a good posting probably resulted in bad posts.
Over time I have begun to use the blog very differently. Most of my entries are written late at night and are typically a reflection on the problem that is most on my mind from that day at work. More of a journal then a vehicle to deliver content to others. A sounding board where I can get direct feedback from those that will listen. In the end, I guess I am saying the customer of this blog is me. I am almost embarassed to write that statement down. I have a hunch that the more personel the blog has become the better the content to others, but you, the audience will have to judge.
In taking the feedback from Ted I want to write a disclaimer to all. If an entry seems negative please read a few more, because I think you will find that over time I am telling a very positive story. Its just some days are harder then others.
“Be harsh with yourself at times”–Seneca
on 22 Jul 2007 at 2:38 pm 1.Mark Graban said …
Lee-
I hear what you’re saying. I’ve had readers and lean friends point out times when I’ve “gone negative.” It goes in cycles and waves, I think. I’m not blogging about my daily personal work the way you are, so I can imagine the need to “vent” or the days when things are tough.
As Jim Womack said recently, “If Lean doesn’t seem hard, you aren’t really doing it.” We all have rough days and if it shows in the blog, we can all accept that.
I also recognize your comment that you blog for yourself as the customer. I’ve said the same thing and I don’t mean it to disregard my readers. I started blogging with zero readers because it was helpful for me. The fact that people come and read is amazing and humbling (and often helpful since people communicate back with me). But, ultimately, I blog about what *I* find interesting and the topics I’m reading or thinking about. I’ve learned so much in the process of blogging (the reading and writing it’s forced me to do), I’d continue blogging even if all of my readers disappeared.
Hang in there, keep up the great work.
Mark
on 24 Jul 2007 at 11:08 am 2.Andrea said …
Good for you!
Seriously. I don’t see anything wrong with you being the consumer of this blog. We’re here because you’re being kind enough to share the journey. I refer people here all the time because you are, in my opinion, providing one of the best perspectives on the process of improving health care. And in return, we’ll give you our opinions and perspectives where we can. You teach me, I’ll teach you. Seems fair to me.
I honestly haven’t seen any of your posts being negative (which probably just means I’m more cynical than you). Frustrated, sure. But that’s to be expected. I’ve noticed that the human impulse to only share good news is highly prevalent in blogs and message groups. But the beauty of a journal is how it captures the whole spectrum.
That and i don’t think I’d believe you if all you talked about were the successes.
Andrea
on 24 Jul 2007 at 1:40 pm 3.Lee Fried said …
Thanks to you both for your kind words and encouragement. I will keep providing my reflections and will look forward to continued feedback!