I can’t even say how excited I have been lately about a turn that a major project that I have been working on has recently taken.
See, it’s like this: I’ve been working on a huge project for the better part of a year, and the people who are now starting to look at it and evaluate the product of my efforts. And they are finding things that they don’t like about it!
I am far from being upset that people are finding faults with what I have produced, though. In fact, I am absolutely ecstatic and elated about it because rather than just complaining about the things they don’t like, I’ve had a number of people giving me very helpful suggestions for making my work better. And this kind of feedback has led to a very constructive process that is actually making the product better for everyone.
The lesson I’m learning: Complaining is one thing… but constructive criticism, accompanied by suggestions for solutions actually gets things done. It’s about moving from “complaint mode” to “collaboration mode.”
So I really identified with this post from Library Riot about this very topic:
“we can whine and complain all day, and we can even use the most guerilla methods to sabotage the status quo. But unless we have some kind of solution, or at least an alternative that we’re willing to defend, we sell ourselves and our ideas short. In the end, we only risk alienating ourselves and dooming our potentially great ideas to failure.”
Amen! It’s something we can all think about the next time we have a complaint. The next time I find myself ready to whine about something I don’t like, I’ll definitely take some time to think through some possible solutions before I open my big mouth. (Of course, it won’t stop me form opening my big mouth… that would take a miracle.)
There is great potential power to be found in complaining constructively. I’m learning this first hand.
BTW: What is this project? Maybe I’ll post about it soon.
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March 13th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
I’m curious to find out what this project is myself. Whatever it is, best of luck.
March 13th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Oh, it’s really not that big a deal. But I like to build suspense so people will come back…
March 14th, 2008 at 8:53 am
Amen to constructive criticism. I’m real open-mouthed myself, but I’ve always aimed for being constructive. If I don’t like something I’ll sit myself down and think of either some way to fix it (or alleviate the impact of the problems, if fixing it is impossible) - or some alternative. And if I can’t do either, I keep my big mouth shut.
I’m figuring that’s the only reason my boss hasn’t fired me yet, because I complain and bitch about almost everything.
March 14th, 2008 at 6:36 pm
Is this a library project or something entirely new? If the former, how does this project work “at the point of service”? Have you had a chance to listen to the real world concerns of your customers, rather than imagining what they need/want? I know you’re very technically astute, but have you been immersed in a culture inclined to empower gizmos and gadjets to drive service, rather than the reverse?
Have you had input all along from potential clients/customers and are you in an immediate environment that respects same? If that is true, and I know that it is, then you’ve merely hit a speedbump and I have every faith in your final result. Are you filling a real need with this project? You obviously have lots of smarts AND a passion for what you do. Combine that with a positive attitude towards constructive criticism and you’re practically a force of nature!
What at first may seem a failure can turn out to be a tremendous success. I first did “Friendly English Conversation Group” back in Riverhead, based on the 1990 census. It was not a total success (understatment)…for reasons that I now fully understand. I started it in the spring, in a locale where (this is no longer true but it was then) the non-english speaking community was almost entirely composed of migrant laborers. My husband is a farmer, you would THINK it would have dawned on me that one plants in the spring!
Anyhow, recently the “Friendly English Conversation Group” idea has taken off like gangbusters at our library. We have 4 conversation groups going and more planned. The secret is to give people what they really want, without trying to “manage it to death”. No sign up, informal, a native speaker and a pot of coffee. It’s so simple that it works!
I once decided to do a “Business Leaders Breakfast”. Two people showed up. But ONE of them was President of our local SCORE group. We went on to collaborate in a series of very well-received programs with SCORE. After the first one, the President went back to his group and said, “The most effective thing we can do is work WITH the public library.” Again, so simple that it works!
The point is, service must be needed/wanted and done/performed at the convenience of the patron…not at the convenience of the library…in collaboration with community. All successful library service is collaborative, on every level. Thinking “out of the box” includes the building, the gizmo and the gadjet. It’s well-thought-out customer service that carries the day, not the bureacratically pure management of projects. Lastly, it’s the opinion of the patron that counts…even more than ours. Period.
March 17th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Is this the project I think it is?
If so…The project ROCKS! You have been doing such a fabulous job that any suggestions/criticisms are gilding the lily!
March 18th, 2008 at 9:28 am
Aw, shucks, Melanie. That’s really nice of you to say.
Edana, you and I are so on the same wavelength. The questions you’re asking are ones that we should ask every time we create a product/service for our patrons. You hit the nail on the head: it’s all about the patrons. I hope that in this case I did a pretty good job of using real world concerns as the basis of what I did. Is it perfect? Of course not. But I’m shooting for a starting point… and then using feedback and constructive criticism to keep the process of adapting to our users needs going.
And I LOVE your story about the conversation groups! It’s such a good illustration of what we can do when we create a collaborative environment.
(But “a force of nature”? LOL not quite.)