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

First ask: “How will I use this data?”

April 22, 2020

First ask: “How will I use this data?” Whether it’s during data conversion, adding a […]

“We run the report three times and get three different results.”

April 15, 2020

“We run the report three times and get three different results.” “We run the same […]

How do you know if you’re making progress?

April 8, 2020

How do you know if you’re making progress? We all want to improve our data management, […]

Don’t move too quickly OR too slowly

April 1, 2020

Don’t move too quickly OR too slowly This may sound like a big “duh!” but I’ll […]

“Your current habits are perfectly designed to deliver your current results.”

March 25, 2020

“Your current habits are perfectly designed to deliver your current results.” “Your current habits are […]

There is value in just going through the exercise

March 18, 2020

There is value in just going through the exercise I was working with a client […]

Daylight savings and business rules

March 11, 2020

Daylight savings and business rules This past Sunday, most of the US observed Daylight Savings […]

It’s always about priorities

March 4, 2020

It’s always about priorities No matter the size or type of technology project, you will […]

Only one can be best

February 26, 2020

Only one can be best One of my (many) pet peeves with software vendor marketing […]

Seek to simplify

February 19, 2020

Seek to simplify When I work with my clients on system selection or implementation, one […]

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published.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

Scroll to Top