Roommate writes from Iraq:
What we do is complain. And this goes way back, by the way. If you could listen in on a conversation in any camp of the Roman Legion or any formation of Spartan or Athenian Infantry, you would hear men complaining about the food, the pay, the marching, and their officers Fast forward to Iraq and Afghanistan: same-same.
Lafo responds from the UK:
And for centuries the complaints of soldiers have formed the baseline for innovation and out of the box thinking. Without the clear knowledge of what is wrong we cannot know which hurdles to jump. Where some see complaints, others see opportunity.
Above the glass ceiling we let ourselves complain endlessly because we know it to be a brainstorming exercise. I can recall a six month process of relentless feedback which ended up at the CEO level regarding the unacceptably small width of my personal parking space. It was completely distracting to be constantly worried about getting a ding on the door of my new Beemer.
For you I recommend using an old trick from the business world. Listen carefully to the complaints of the group around you and package them all into a ‘solution set’ with your name on it. Simply reverse the nature of each complaint and turn it into an action item. Your solution package will lift you above the herd and earn you a seat at Senate Committee Hearings and guest appearances on the Kathy Griffin’s “My Life on the D List.”
October 3, 2007 at 6:24 pm
Ah yes… in my world, complaints are logged as “feature candidates,” then trumpeted to the universe once developed, tested and packaged for release as advanced/enhanced feature offerings. This just to reinforce LaFo’s message, never miss an opportunity to repackage complaints and spin their solution set as your own innovative brainchild.
Let’s see, time for a camouflaged reflective vest with subdued reflection (Permanent black markers work well here) - meets the letter of the law and shows you’re thinking about the troops.