You know what this is. Sometimes you gotta remind yourself not to behave like one.Today at a staff meeting chaired by my Boss's Boss, we were encouraged to ask questions about a new initiative being planned at work - the message was "We are trying to be as transparent as possible, and we know that many of you have questions, and we want you to feel safe voicing your concerns."
So I asked a question. I wanted to hear Boss's Boss's take on the initiative. Buzz-words had been used to describe our goal that could be interpreted many different ways - what were the specifics as he saw them? I have had little day-to-day contact with him, so I had never heard his take on it. I was genuinely curious.
Later today my supervisor grilled me about why I asked it, saying she was worried that I lacked understanding about her directions to me. She said Boss's Boss had asked her why I asked it, while they had lunch after the meeting.
Thanks for the positive reinforcement. I'm not asking any more questions at staff meetings.
Meetings have always seemed to me NOT to be about meeting to share information. That is why I dislike them so very much. I could live forever without "visioning" about proposals or "sharing out" figures for new building projects. If I never hear "impact" used as a verb again I will die happy. Meetings always seem to be about a few people showing off their knowledge of corporate-speak and weird acronyms. I'd prefer to get an email, thanks
ReplyDeleteHow long until retirement? It can be so frustrating when things like this happen.
ReplyDeleteSue
Oh me. You used a word on my list of words and phrases that drive me nuts. Transparency. What the heck does that mean?!
ReplyDeleteDon't be discouraged by piping up. Others attending might have had the same question but not the courage to ask.