8/14/17 | PR
Today was another productive day on BWH. The day started with Kathy (K) and I having a morning debriefing to discus any questions about current assignments and lay out a plan for the day. The bulk of the debriefing was about improving group process with K, Con (C), and I. One specific topic was confusion over running assignments; this was a timely discussion as the day before, C and I had discussed a similar topic; one major outcome from the discussion was the creation of an online note for my assignments that would be available to C,K, and I for review and editing.
Following the debriefing, Kathy gave me some time to record the assignments we had outlined for the day in my note. Around 15 minutes later, Kathy and I went about the first task on the list which was a systems status walk-through of my camper. During the walk-through we identified some areas to work on, but some areas could not be assessed because my belongings were in the way, such as the area under the kitchen sink. Kathy and I talked about how my preparation for the walk-through could be improved, such as putting myself in the shoes of an official inspector and considering what areas would need to be inspected.
After the camper walk-through, I had lunch and checked my note; K had took a look at the note and had left some pointers for better descriptions of my assignment list items; I appreciated this feedback as the team (C,K,and I) are working to improve our communications. Following lunch I finished the rest of my assignments between some moments with K, including getting to see a real live Monarch Butterfly and then began writing this log.
My main takeaway from the experiences of the day was that I need to continue working on my critical thinking skills and holistic thinking; I have been building these skills but am getting reminders that they still need work.
8/15/17 | PR
Despite Kathy making time in my work day for writing my log, I did not complete it in the 1 hour time frame provided, so I am finishing it today. I think the root cause of the issue is my writing style. I tend to be pensive in my log writings, leading to superfluous writing at times. This leads to my logs taking a large amount of time to publish, usually more time than I want them to. I think one possible part of the solution is using technical writing, something Con, Kathy and I have been discussing lately. I have had technical writing courses but using the skills in uncharted territory is proving to be a continuing opportunity for improvement.
To close this log up, I want to say that I am glad our team is working on continual improvement processes. I think the morning discussion of group process improvement was productive and highlighted some attributes of the process, such as the online shared note, that have great potential. I think that the camper walk-through showed me that being present in the moment can be contingent on thinking about the future (preparing my camper for inspection); critical thinking is key.
On that note, I’m off to write another log.