THE RECORD

February 26, 1997

BACK TO THE EGG

Suzanne Trevis

Okay, it's been awhile since I've managed to sit down and put something of my own on paper. You know how it is kids, work, husband, kids sports, housework, school and then there's always my kids. And since I've been putting in more time at the paper it feels like I'm doing lots of writing. It just isn't mine.

Last issue I read John's column which starts out with his list of topics on which to write. "A list?" I thought. A list for me would be much too organized!

I'm usually panicking on the last day trying to think of something to write. Which usually doesn't work 'cause then I'm under pressure. So I very quickly (and very easily, I hate to admit) convince myself that we have lots of stuff this week and I'll do extra stuff next time, which of course never happens. But now it's gone on a bit too long and I'm starting to feel awfully guilty. So what to write about?

I usually have my best ideas in the middle of cooking dinner, or while I'm driving the car. I'll have half of a great piece done in my head by the time I get pen to paper, and then its gone. This is because I have a really terrible memory. Actually I shouldn't say that. My memory is great, I just have a real problem retrieving the things I want, when I want them!

Anyway, I do have a beef this week. As a business person, secretary and all round perfectionist that beef is people and organizations who are, lets say, not very professional.

I covered a meeting last week on behalf of the paper. The meeting itself went well and there was a good turnout. However, right off the bat there were spelling errors on the agenda, the guest speaker's name was misspelled and there were a number of discrepancies in the financial information that was passed around to the group.

Following the meeting one of the out of town guests commented to me on how "unprofessional" some of the behaviour had been.

It's one thing to act the fool with your buddies at work, at the bar or on the ball field. But, when you step into your "position" be it in the office, on a school committee or on a board of directors, people see you as a representative of the group and everything you do comes under scrutiny.

We see the repercussions of somewhat innocent behavior every night on the news. How many politicians have been forced to resign over things that you and I probably do all the time. No one would bat an eye if the guy (or gal) wasn't a public figure.

In a small town people tend to get the attitude that the other "business people" they are dealing with are "small time." It is like we're all playing house or something and therefore do not have to be very serious. This is not so.

When I see blatant errors on correspondence from people asking me for things I tend to take it as a sign of an ignorant, sloppy work ethic, and as a lack of respect for me, the person they want to do business with. I want to curl up and die of embarrassment when I see this same type of behaviour from groups or individuals representing our community to outsiders.

The next time you stand up to speak, or rattle off a quick note to your MP, think first. As my mother used to say, "If you can't say something nice don't say anything at all." And before you hit the print button, they have those spell and grammar checks on there for a reason.

The extra five minutes you take can make the difference between getting the job or not, between getting the grant or not, between a favourable ruling or an unfavorable one. Living "off the beaten track" does not mean "lose all manners and respect".

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