Positive change is harder to see

Positive change is harder to see

Humans are wired to see negative change because we need to protect ourselves; a negative change is seen as a risk and a danger. Positive change is much more difficult to see; there's no risk involved.

Think about it this way: When there's a negative change with your data (e.g., a board member's email address is incorrect), it is a problem, everyone knows about it, and often we rush to fix it. When there's a positive change (e.g., all the board members' email addresses have been updated and are now 100% accurate), we rarely notice, and it's even more rare that we say anything about it.

This is why I recommend that data managers practice database public relations. Because positive change is much more difficult to see than negative change, we have to make a proactive effort to highlight all the positive change going on around us.

Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives

How to save a “failing” project

July 27, 2022

How to save a “failing” project It is not unusual for me to receive a […]

How to avoid the “IT black hole”

July 20, 2022

How to avoid the “IT black hole” Going all the way back to my days […]

The “People” are important!

July 13, 2022

The “People” are important! I’ve written a lot about people, process, and technology over the […]

Always look for the MVP

July 6, 2022

Always look for the MVP I first wrote about minimum viable product (MVP) just three […]

The longer you take, the longer it will take

June 29, 2022

The longer you take, the longer it will take It may sound like a tautology, […]

Data is for action

June 22, 2022

Data is for action When deciding whether or not to collect a piece of data, […]

Have you shopped yourself?

June 15, 2022

Have you shopped yourself? I’ve always been fascinated by the “secret shopper” concept. (Maybe it’s […]

To improve adoption, decrease the friction

June 1, 2022

To improve adoption, decrease the friction “Before you try to increase your willpower, try to […]

“Is this normal?”

May 25, 2022

“Is this normal?” ne of the greatest parts about my job is that I get […]

Give your staff more freedom, not less

May 18, 2022

Give your staff more freedom, not less I often tell my clients, when it comes […]

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top