Send compliments up the chain of command, too

September 7, 2010

Even the best writers appreciate compliments. This isn’t something I gave much thought to until very recently.

I’ve always tried to respect everyone with whom I’ve worked, no matter what their position. I pride myself on being an egalitarian, and I truly believe everyone has a contribution to make. I do have trouble with those who don’t work hard or don’t work to their potential, but that’s another post…

We all enjoy compliments; they make us feel valued. While it’s easy to compliment your staff or your peers, compliments don’t always work their way up the chain of command. I realized this a long time ago, and accordingly often communicated my respect to my bosses regarding their ideas and accomplishments.

This has startled my bosses, which I think is a bit sad. Now I’m not talking about being a sycophant; rather, I’m talking about genuine compliments and respect. When I was in the top position, I was saddened to see how many sycophants circled around me. I looked for the real people – there were many. But when I looked for the real compliments, there weren’t many. Now, some could argue that I didn’t deserve compliments, but I hope that’s not the case.

Recently, I complimented one of my long-time mentors. She is a fabulously creative writer and has many articles to her credit. I’ve always taken her talent for granted. She was the best when I met her twenty-some years ago, and she’s only gotten better. Surely she knows that and I don’t need to compliment her, right? My compliment was really matter-of-fact, and I didn’t think twice about it, until her reaction…

She was thrilled that I appreciated what she had done. I was surprised she valued my opinion to that extent.

So, here’s to you, Linda. You’re the best, and I can’t wait to read your new book.

The moral of the story: let’s not forget to compliment all those closest to us, whether it’s staff or peers or bosses or spouses or parents or kids or mentors or that stranger sitting next to you. You’ll make their day.

You’re never too old or too established to appreciate a good compliment.

3 Comments | In the office | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Theresa Henige

Plagiarism Police in an Online World

August 18, 2010

I’ve never been one for depriving individuals of the right to free speech and free expression, nor am I a huge fan of “big brother”, but I’m beginning to think we need some online plagiarism police.

“Plagiarize” – as defined by Webster’s –

“to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own; use (another’s production) without crediting the source; to commit literary theft; present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source.”

Those of us online feel varying degrees of freedom in sharing our ideas, thoughts, words and pictures. Many times it seems as if those with the least to say feel the most free in sharing. But in a professional world, how much should we share online?

In his book “The New Rules of Marketing and PR” , David Meerman Scott talks about posting his ideas on his blog, which can prompt intelligent discussions. However, his editors worry that he is “giving away” all his ideas. Scott counters this with a claim that the online discussions helped improve his books. I can see both sides to this, but I have to admit I’m with his editors. I wonder how many of his ideas have shown up under someone else’s name.

In school, if you changed every 3rd or 5th word or something like that, then you technically weren’t plagiarizing. That was the rule. So, what are the rules online? Just like with any other community, many of the rules are decided by the members of the community, but you always have unethical members. Since it’s so easy to link and point back to sources, I think it’s even more unethical (and stupid) not to attribute the original sources. Of course, all the online resources can also enable plagiarizing.

I was reading a blog by Angela Hausman on 5 Reasons You Shouldn’t Do Social Networking . It’s a good blog; she has some interesting things to say. Unfortunately, another person liked the post too much. The author found her exact words posted on someone else’s blog as original content. Shame on that person. Angela is looking for ways to reduce intellectual property theft, and I agree it’s an important issue that should be addressed sooner rather than later. You can read her response to this “Rip Off” on her Rip Off Blog.

Tae Hyun Moon has been posting in some of the Linked In groups a new electronic resume format. It has some excellent ideas and has generated quite a bit of interest. Again, there’s a but… I’m not comfortable posting my resume online since a so-called friend decided to copy my summary, specialties and job descriptions almost word for word into her own resume. I’ve been a professional writer for a long time, and I was appalled that someone just entering the communications field would find nothing wrong with using my words on her resume. She said I should be flattered. I’m not.

On the flip side, Tae Hyun Moon noted that he is attempting to introduce a new format for resumes, and would like this spread far and wide. In this case, he wants people to copy his format, in the hopes it will create a new generation of electronic resumes. I hope this will be successful.

So what are the rules? And how do you police against online plagiarism? I don’t have the answers, but I bet someone online does.

8/18 note of interest: Mackinac Center says school consolidation study by MSU professor for Booth Newspapers may contain some plagiarized material

2 Comments | business writing, creative writing, online | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Theresa Henige

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