I concluded today that anyone who employs me should pay me to take a short vacation every 3 to 6 months based on my productivity today. In my excitement for this trip I had ample energy to deal with everything that came my way and to reach out and proactively do things that wouldn’t even necessarily be expected of me. I was very responsive all day and on top of all aspects of my work. I even felt that I could make something positive of the news that Jason is leaving the Insights team (he’s the team lead and has vastly more expertise in that area than anyone else in the company). I left 30 minutes early because there was nothing productive left for me to do and I had already accomplished as much as I do in some weeks.
At home I did dinner, patched holes in walls and doors, fed the bunny extra for the days I’ll be gone (not counting on anyone to remember), finished the last preparations in my packing, and set up Savannah to be able to manage the home WiFi as needed while I’m out of range.
I even tried to help Laura see how she forestalls productive conversations by being so focused on her personal perspective – people often disengage because they expect that she won’t here them. The attempt was a complete failure even though I tried to be gentle and not accusatory. She snapped and yelled at me for 10 minutes – it was like crossing Isaac.
She proved my point through the venomous response while trying to defend herself. I wish she would either hear herself (the overarching pattern) or listen to feedback. It would be even better if she could look past the symptoms of how people shut down around her and recognize the origins of the pattern.
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