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Apr 8

Written by: Danny R. Faught
Wednesday, April 08, 2009 9:40 AM 

I can often count on Robert Rose-Coutré to comment on the things I write, giving me confidence that at least one person is reading. It brightens my day when I hear from him. His comments have always been positive. Until now.

Robert took me to task on my Deconstructing Our Tools column. He tried to blame it on the editors, but no, this was my mistake. In a misguided effort to make the column look more relevant, I tried to tie it in to the subject of application lifecycle management (ALM) tools in the introduction. But then I didn't write about ALM after that. I'm not even sure that I understand the essence of what ALM is, beyond the basic idea that it involves a collection of a broad spectrum of tools that all existed before the ALM term was coined. Is ALM more than a marketing gimmick? I'm still not sure.

I'm excited to know that Robert isn't just a yes-man, and I really appreciate the feedback. I'm going to be less sloppy with my writing now. Supporters are great to have. Constructive critics are even better. Thanks, Robert.

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2 comment(s) so far...

Re: Thank You for Your Complaint

I think this goes to a common tendency in society in general. As a whole, we tend not to be very good at giving or taking constructive criticism. Perhaps this is a lost skill that can be attributed to the “political correctness” movement but in the long run, it is detrimental to the individual as well as the greater society. I see this problem everywhere but no where do I see it more than in our children. My own children get so little external criticism that when their mother or I do offer some, they are hurt. Having been a manager for more than 15 years, I understand that it is hard to both give and receive but contstructive criticism is “critical” to personal development.

By Rick Martin on   Wednesday, April 08, 2009 10:40 AM

Re: Thank You for Your Complaint

There are certainly some situations where criticism is not welcome. I'm sure your wife can point out a few. :-)

In a public setting, I hope that people would point out mistakes before they mislead anyone. Perhaps if the author is perceived as an expert, some readers would hesitate to criticize. But it's even more important then to correct any damaging information, because of the weight the author carries. I've had to defend some of my public criticisms of popular authors, who weren't always happy to hear from me.

Criticism is easier to bear when it comes with compliments. There's almost always some positive aspect of the thing you're criticizing.

By Danny R. Faught on   Thursday, April 09, 2009 8:59 AM

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