#670 they're baaaack

Well, yesterday's blog caused quite a stir!  I heard from more people about that blog than any of the others -- some were laughing, some were wondering, and some were plainly unhappy that they had been pranked.

It caused me to think about all the emotional energy that is spent in organizations about things that turn out not to be true.  I heard someone complain yesterday about a program change -- that turned out to be a possible change -- that they are now going to meet and discuss in three weeks.  I had three emails and an in-person rant wondering if something else had changed -- and I learned from a two minute discussion with the person involved what the real outcome was.  I think the phenomenon happens often with weather forecasts -- people get anxious about a prediction that never materializes.

While April Fools gives an excuse for intentional misleading, we should take care on the other 364 days to validate a message before getting worked up about it.  Things are not always as they seem if we take a moment to clarify the message that's out there. 

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com