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
There is value in just going through the exercise
There is value in just going through the exercise I was working with a client […]
Daylight savings and business rules
Daylight savings and business rules This past Sunday, most of the US observed Daylight Savings […]
It’s always about priorities
It’s always about priorities No matter the size or type of technology project, you will […]
Only one can be best
Only one can be best One of my (many) pet peeves with software vendor marketing […]
Seek to simplify
Seek to simplify When I work with my clients on system selection or implementation, one […]
Some problems are not problems
Some problems are not problems “A problem with no solution is not a problem, it’s […]
UI Matters!
UI Matters! Almost since I began consulting over 20 years, I’ve noted how important the […]
Be careful with absolutes
Be careful with absolutes When I speak with clients I try to be careful about […]
New Year’s Resolutions
New Year’s Resolutions Why do New Year’s Resolutions fail? Research suggests that part of the […]
Why Process is So Important
Why Process is So Important One of my favorite business authors is James Clear, who writes all […]