This will be quick, because today is just insane with a capital CRAZY, but I wanted to ask YOUR opinion on something.
In life – and I’ll take any aspect of life, work, home, whatever – have you found that it’s more productive to be the Squeaky Wheel, or do you feel that it makes you more like a Mosquito Buzz?
I am pretty regularly now faced with the dilemma of Do I put myself out there more? or Keep your head down and just do good work. Because I don’t want to be mosquito buzzy, but I’m not always a huge fan of the squeaky wheel either.
So tell me: what have you found to be the right answer?
It’s about balance. And knowing when to buzz and when to squeak. If you buzz/squeak ALL THE TIME no one takes you seriously.
Outside of that I would say Squeak More with grace. People & Places are making do with less professionally now more than ever. Sometimes you can’t get their attention unless you squeak. You have to be your own PR team, and you know how to do that!
The BookMamma wants you to read ..Weekend Roundup March 1-4
I try to pick my battles. I used to be a keep my head down and do work kind of girl but found I got too frustrated. Now, I try to speak up more but if I am complaining about something, I try to come with a solution as well.
So this is super cheesy and anecdotal, but I like to think a better approach is the silent wheel in situations where I’ve tried to have an impact/been the mosquito. Then, when you buzz off, and the wheel falls off the wagon, it is then realized your worth of effort, ideas, etc. was valuable. Example:
-I used to have serious control issues about making sure my stepdaughter was getting the needed academic guidance. Always reminding about spelling words, math practice, checking forms as soon as we were home, etc. It ended up that my husband always thought I was nagging, and her impression was that I was the ‘not fun’ one. Academics are not a priority at her mom’s house (fellow readers, please take this as a statement of fact, not a judgement. It is what it is. Let it be known her mom is much more fashionable than me, and it hurts a little to know that she probably will never come to me for fashion advice. All facts, no judgement). I was hugely concerned to relinquish that control, but I was so tired of the conflict it caused. In the month after I stopped, she didn’t qualify with reading time to get her Book It pizza certificate, her daily work grades dropped drastically (we’re talking from 85-95% to 50-60%) and currently we just received a call from our church music director because she has not practiced her lines enough. While it pains me to see these challenges, my husband has really realized that she is still at an age/stage where she needs his/our support, prodding, intervention to teach her good learning habits, etc. He’s done much better being the director of homework. (It’s secretly a bit satisfying to see him chastise/punish for behaviors that I used to punish/chastise and he’d tell me I was being too tough on her).
GAH, comment hijack. Point is, I was quite squeaky for a while, and it was perceived as a buzz. I went silent, the wagon briefly went off track, and lo and behold, my input was no longer a buzz but something to help re-align the wagon.
I have the same question right now. It’s totally a balance. Like others have said, you can’t squeak all the time or it has no effect. You have to speak up for yourself but also pick your battles. God, this is an annoying comment. Sorry. But I think you just have to use your judgment.
-R- wants you to read ..It Is Snowing
My litmus test:
Is this something that is a recurring annoyance/upset?
If our roles were reversed, is the annoyance understandable?
Is it something I can suggest a solution for?
Does this have the potential to be a poor political move?
If the answers are “Yes, No, Yes, No”, than I speak up and offer my solutions as well. Otherwise, mouth shut, solider on.
MrsDragon wants you to read ..Smokeys BBQ [3/5]
I really can’t add anything to these excellent comments other than remember the times when you just buzzed and what you were afraid of happening, did – and you thought, I might have prevented that if I had just spoken up.
Good advice. I always do my job quietly and to the best of my ability. When a problem arises, I take care of it and document my actions. If I can’t solve it, I pass it down to my team to review. If they find no solution, we meet for lunch and brainstorming. We never make noises about problems we can solve. We try to never present a problem unless we have suggestions for solving it. Most importantly, we never complain about little stuff that does not affect our performance. Never bitch about petty things.
Because of this, our Captain often pops in to ask if we need anything. And we never have to squeak very loudly to be noticed. Explain what you need, why you need it, and how it will improve the image of your business. It is hard to argue with facts.
Rick
Rick–It sounds like you have an attentive captain. Unfortunately, if the Captain is not paying attention, or if they are constantly fire fighting (and you aren’t on fire), it can be easy for critical things to be ignored UNLESS you speak up. And sometimes, it is appropriate to pass problems up, even if you don’t have a solution.
MrsDragon wants you to read ..Smokeys BBQ [3/5]