Did You Get My Emails?

Blackberry included. Order yours today!

Every once in a while I will run into issues with my work and lodge email accounts. It happens to everyone. Most of the time it is a quick fix or I am able to step away from the screen for a few minutes while the computer reboots. This is the simplest solution and usually it works. However, there have been times when I have lost access for a day or two (usually on the antiquated lodge system) which is frustrating but there are ways to work around it as I have most of the contacts loaded into my personal email and so I am able to maintain productivity even without direct access. So long as I CC the main account, I don’t have any problems keeping accurate records.

While I can’t say for certain, this seems to be the generally accepted practice in the business world. It might even be acceptable at government agencies but, again, I can’t say for certain. This is what has made the recent news from the former Secretary of State so baffling. Every person that I know in the corporate world would have been fired for using their personal email without backing it up to the company server/email. It is simply a matter of accountability and maintaining an accurate record of all communications/records. Heck, there is even an entire legal subset of specialists focusing on e-discovery for just this reason. A former client, Evidox, comes to mind in this instance.

Maintaining an accurate communications record is what allows a company, or in this instance a government department, to ensure transparency. That idea sounds familiar doesn’t it? While the President may not have noticed the odd address, hdr22@clintonemail.com, and found out about this whole debacle “like the rest of us: through news reports this past week” it still calls into question the bar that has been set in this administration. And this hasn’t been the first time that the concept of transparency has been questioned.

While it may not have solved the problem or answered all the questions, turning over the entirety of her email archive would have at least been a step in the right direction. After all, as was reported in The Christian Science Monitor, “Once the controversy became known, Clinton tweeted: “I want the public to see my email. I asked State to release them. They said they will review them for release as soon as possible.””

However, this is not going to be the case as the records are incomplete to say the least as emails have been deleted and physical prints provided rather than electronic copies making the search-ability of the existing correspondences cumbersome and laborious at best. From the same article:  

The problem is, that review could take weeks or months. Those e-mails total 55,000 pages, and as Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post wrote the other day, “Those are the e-mails that Clintonworld decided should be turned over…. not exactly the classic definition of transparency.”

So now we wait to see what is there and what no longer exists in the records provided… I’m pretty sure she deleted the limited emails from her husband (now his would be an interesting account to look at). I guess we will never know all the details of her workout routines, whether or not she is secret pen pals with Monica Lewinsky, if she really approved of her daughter’s groom, or if she originally thought that Benghazi was a Japanese art form rather than a giant situation best described as FUBAR. I’m pretty sure all of those emails are long gone.

Not Earned Or Expected

 

Since the crux of this post revolved around a single word, let’s first take a look at the definition (as it is used in the post below) of the word compliment:

a :  an expression of esteem, respect, affection, or admiration; especially :  an admiring remark

b :  formal and respectful recognition :  honor

While a wonderful word, I don’t feel I have ever earned a compliment as it is defined. Best case scenario, it is questionable as to whether I should have gotten any. I know many people who have but, in my view, I don’t believe the definition applies to me.

Lately, there have been a number of people saying similarly kind comments to me and each time I kept asking myself why it was said. After all, I was going my job the way I think it needs to be done… the way it needs to be done in order to be impactful. In other instances, I was just doing what should be done when a friend or family member is in need. I have no problem giving compliments but when it comes to receiving them I am really not a fan. This is particularly true when I feel that I am being praised for what I see as doing my job. With that said, I know it is the right thing to do and I appreciate it when people take the time to said such flattering things or thank me but I don’t expect it.

Unfortunately, I have seen too many times over the last few years of people expecting this type of praise as if they are entitled to it. Mostly this has been found in the young newly graduated just entering the work force thinking that they are right and that their company and colleagues are wrong. These are the kinds of people that expect to be applauded for farting in a tuba and staying on key.

Thankfully, I take pride in the fact that I have been able to surround myself at work, at lodge, and in my family with countless people who feel the same way that I do about compliments. After all, when we help someone it is more gratifying for us to see that person succeed. We know the small role that we have played in their life and that is more than enough for us. Of course, with all of that said, a simple thank you (privately, not publically) goes a long way. This is also something that seems to be lost on many young people (whether it is actual age or just mentally) as they expect to be thanked for introducing us to the world of tuba tooting.