One of the things I like so much about writing, as opposed to talking, is the ability to think about and edit what I'm going to say before I say it. Being human, I'm not always perfect on the first try with speaking. I do get disappointed in myself as a Manager maybe too much with this shortcoming, but once you speak the words, they are what they are, and you can't take them back. So you can't worry about it too much, just try and do better the next time.

For instance, I don't particularly like to tell my employees they are "being bad," but well, sometimes they are being bad, or at least the one who's been with the company long enough to be bad is being bad. I know, according to all the Managerial Training Books, managers shouldn't really phrase admonitions this way to their employees; it doesn't help productivity or overall work satisfaction for anyone in the company. A manager instead should patiently point out that the behavior is "not acceptable," advise of the "appropriate behavior," and/or distract the employee, blah blah blah. Maybe in an ideal office environment, where The Manager has an unlimited supply of patience and perfection, this procedure would always be possible. Frankly, it's less that I don't want to tell K.Lo she is "being bad"--because if she is, she needs to know. It's just that there are better ways to say it. That way is not always on the tip of my tongue.

On the other hand, not communicating the right words can be entertaining, even when you don't mean them to be. After clocking in from Break this afternoon, K.Lo filled her chocolate quota for the day, and then continued to ask for more. I offered the alternate options of "pretzels, grapes, or... that's it." It didn't exactly make sense. But K.Lo, not going for the first two options, settled on the "that's it," requesting whatever a "thatsit" is several times. Maybe she thought it was made of chocolate.

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3 peanuts:
  1. Ruby says:

    Sometimes I feel like I would prefer the 'thatsit' rather than my other options too! You can't blame the girl for exploring all the possibilities!

  1. awesomeness.
    i want a thatsit too. it makes sense to me.

  1. Andria says:

    too funny. I know exactly what you mean. . Dellaina latches on to things we say sometimes and starts demanding (or more likely denying them -- "NO want thatsit!") repeatedly.
    The other morning, I was attempting to get her to let me do her hair and I was getting frustrated that she NEVER lets me fix her hair -- she loves for Carrie or Georgia at school to put it up for her, but pitches a screaming fit if I mention it and I was feeling overly emotional about being denied this mother-daughter ritual and told her she was being "mean." That evening, she was sitting in her chair eating and says, "I'm mean." I felt horrible even though she clearly didn't understand it was a negative thing. So, yeah, it's hard not to keep your emotions in check ALL the time and be rational about what we say.