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

Why data matters

July 23, 2025

Why data matters I write about data because managing our data effectively will help us […]

It’s about process

July 16, 2025

It’s about process I’m in the midst of adding an AI agent to my website […]

Data integrity reports

July 9, 2025

Data integrity reports I speak and write a lot about data integrity reports. So I […]

The most important training tip

June 25, 2025

The most important training tip I’ve been sitting in a lot of database training sessions […]

Be careful about getting tangled

June 18, 2025

Be careful about getting tangled “We had done a lot to tangle ourselves up.” – […]

Discipline. Always discipline.

June 11, 2025

Discipline. Always discipline. I’ve been producing a newsletter in some form for over 25 years […]

Simpler is better

June 4, 2025

Simpler is better Recently, a client of mine was discussing how they manage membership reinstatements. […]

Baby steps

May 28, 2025

Baby Steps A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. You have […]

Sometimes what you’re using IS the best option

May 21, 2025

Sometimes what you’re using IS the best option I love technology and I’m inherently lazy, […]

Do they hate the system?

May 14, 2025

Do they hate the system? When an association asks me for help finding a new […]

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published.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

Scroll to Top