How Can I Know Unless You Teach Me

When I was in the eighth grade, my English class was given a chance to enter an essay in a statewide competition. The essay was supposed to be about the first governor of Oklahoma. Most of us headed straight for the encyclopedia and state history books and wrote factually accurate but very boring papers. After reading our efforts, the teacher ranted at us collectively for not knowing that an essay was supposed to contain more than dry facts. There needed to be color, voice, something that made each paper unique.

I felt frustrated; I had worked very hard on my paper, and I thought it was good. Was it my fault that I was a product of the very school system that this teacher worked for? The trouble was this teacher expected us to already have knowledge of things she hadn’t taught us. If she didn’t teach us about essays, where were we supposed to get this knowledge? I guess she expected all of our previous teachers to have covered this topic, but did she bother to check?

This same problem exists in the work world. Over and over, I see young supervisors being lambasted for not managing effectively. But like my junior high colleagues and I, no one has ever taught them how to do their job. Often they are promoted to a supervisory role because they were good at their previous job which had nothing at all to do with supervising. Later, because they have been given no coaching to help them develop managerial skills, they are not able to advance up the next rung of the ladder.

I realize that businesses do not exist solely as management training programs and bosses have more to do than coach those under them. However, if a company has a policy of promoting from within (which it should) then it needs to have the mechanisms in place to ensure that its people are ready for promotion when the time comes. A good leader is also a good teacher, passing down her knowledge and skills to the next generation.

Another area where I see this problem is in customer service. If people are hired into positions where they will interact with the public, they need to be trained in human relations and customer service. They cannot just be given a uniform, sent onto the floor and expected to perform at a five star level. For some people good customer service comes naturally, a lot of it comes down to having good manners and respect for other human beings. However, some aspects of great service need to be taught.

This is where good management comes in. A leader/teacher will instruct new employees how to interact with the guests, how to handle difficult situations and each customer’s expectations are exceeded. A good leader will also teach by example, not only in her interactions with customers, but also in her dealings with colleagues and underlings.

Keep in mind that I am not a manager, nor do I ever aspire to be one. I am one of the peons and I’m perfectly happy to stay that way as long as I have good managers to work with.

rainbow connection

I have a sore throat/ear infection and I've had a bad day. Kermit always cheers me up. Hope he adds a little joy to your day.

The Magic Three: What it Means for Massage Therapists

Brian over at copyblogger has a neat little article on using the "Rule of Three" to create great online content. He explains that the human mind is geared to discern patterns and "three is the smallest number of elements required to create a pattern." The Rule of Three shows up in children's stories, comedy routines, and famous quotes. Readers' comments on the post also point out that Three is an important number in other areas as well: Three primary colors, Three sides of a triangle, Three branches of power.

This got me thinking: In massage school, we were told over and over (and over) again to start and finish each body part with Three long effleurage (gliding) strokes. Throughout the massage we were also told to perform various strokes, stretches and movements in Threes. One instructor explained that Three was a magical number (if she told us what made it magical, I don't remember).

I was skeptical but the pattern stuck. Now I understand why. Grouping the movements into Threes made it easier for me as a beginning therapist to establish a flow or routine. Even if I deviated from the routine to concentrate on a specific problem area, I could pick it back up and continue on with the massage, making sure I worked every part of the client's body.

The Rule of Three makes for a better massage. The person on the table unconsciously grasps and responds to the rhythms and patterns established by this Rule of Three. For them it is comfortingly familiar, maybe even a bit hypnotic, allowing them to relax into the flow of the massage. The client doesn't realize you've used the Magic of Three on them, she just knows that you gave her a truly magical massage.



How to Use the “Rule of Three” to Create Engaging Content | Copyblogger

Legal Sites Provide Answers to Work Related Questions

Change happens. When it happens at work, change can bring many benefits, but it can also cause major disruptions in both our job environments and our home lives. When management makes major changes at work the first thing people often ask is, "Can they really do that?"

Well, chances are that the bosses have already researched their rights and responsibilities regarding their relationships with their employees. If you work for a large company, there is probably a Human Resources department and a legal team that make sure that every policy change is within the company's legal rights. Even small business owners hate being sued, so they are usually pretty diligent about playing by the rules.

Okay, but what if the slave driver you work for really doesn't seem to care about the Geneva Convention much less the state labor commission? What if the tightwad in the big office has suddenly decided that bathroom breaks are a waste of company time? What is the difference between a pain in the rear and a violation of your rights under state and federal law?

NOLO is a great resource for finding out this sort of information. They have a whole section dedicated to employee rights on their website with FAQ's and links to state and federal information. The office of the state Labor Commissioner also has information regarding state laws. The Office of the Nevada Labor Commissioner's website has FAQ's, state statutes and regulations, and forms for filing complaints.

Of course, these resources are also helpful to business owners and managers. NOLO also has sections regarding human resources and other legal issues that may come up in the course of business.

It's So Nice to Know Someone Really Cares

I get a little grumpy sometimes. And nothing sets my grumpiness off faster than the knowledge that there are people in this world abusing or mistreating animals, or kids, or women, or really anyone weaker than themselves--I just don't like bullies in general, okay? Another thing that chaps my hide is someone (or some corporation) trashing this beautiful planet I live on or destroying some precious ecosystem just for the sake of big profits.

Someone Who Cares is a great little blog dedicated to educating the public about various social and political topics. The blog is an off-shoot of the website. Faith Autumn Reign is the founder of the site and blog, but she encourages user participation through a MySpace group. Members of the group post stories and testimonials on the group bulletin board and Reign adds them to the site and/or blog.

If you are interested in getting involved in a cause but don't know where to begin, or if you just want to connect with others who support the same causes as you, this is a site you should check out.

Give the Gift of Massage to Those Who Take Care of Others

Alzheimer's - A Great Holiday Gift for Caregivers - A Massage!

People who spend most of their time caring for aging or ailing loved ones often neglect to take care of themselves. The physical and mental stress of acting as caregiver can take a toll on one's body. Regular massage therapy can go a long way towards alleviating some of this stress.

However, many caregivers are strapped financially and are not able to "splurge" on this sort of relief. For this reason, Dorian Martin over at Healthcentral.com recommends giving gift certificates for massage therapy to any caregivers that you know. This would surely be more useful to them than another collection of candles or bath gels.

When That Pain in Your Neck Really Gets on Your Nerves

I am not the world's most graceful person. Slips, trips and bodily injuries are such a common occurrence with me that the local EMT's know me by name. So does the staff at the urgent care close to the house. And the one by work. You get my point? Accident prone does not even begin to describe me. At the spa where I work, I am the only person who has ever gotten away with calling in sick on New Years Day (busiest day in Las Vegas) because I did it from the emergency room--and I hadn't even been drinking!

So I should have known better than to walk down our carpeted stairs in just my socks. I mean, a klutz like me should know the benefits of traction, right? But there I was, prancing down the stairs in my sweats and socks, paying absolutely no attention to what I was doing. Whewsh! My sock-clad foot slid on the rug and out from under me. I tried to catch myself on the banister, but bounced down several steps on my behind, back and elbows before stopping near the bottom. The breath was knocked out of me and I knew my shoulders were gonna hurt from trying to catch myself, but at least I hadn't hit the hard tile at the bottom of the stairs. I didn't think it was that bad.

Until the next day. A busy Saturday at the Spa and I was fully booked with massages. At first it wasn't too bad, my back and shoulders were a little stiff; but as the day wore on, I started getting a lot of pain in my right wrist. I must have injured it in the fall and not realized it.

Now, a bum wrist is one of the scariest things in the world to a massage therapist. After all, our hands are our tools; without them we can't work. Two or three weeks off to allow a sprained wrist to heal is two or three weeks with no money coming in. But working with an injury only leads to more damage and a longer recovery time, if it recovers at all.

So I went to the urgent care as soon as I got off work to get things checked out. I explained my fall to the doctor and he checked out my wrist. But everything seemed to be fine there. So then he checked out my neck and shoulders. Turns out that the muscles in my neck and shoulders had tightened up so much that they were putting pressure on the nerve that went down my arm into my wrist.

Ben Crabtree over at Massage San Antonio has a great article on Nerve Entrapment Syndromes. These painful conditions occur when the various tissues surrounding the nerve constrict and place pressure on the nerve and/or its root creating either localized or referred pain. Some of you may call this a "pinched nerve."

Ben explains why these entrapments happen and how various types of massage can help alleviate the pain. Check out Ben's article and the rest of his blog. He has lots of great information posted over there. And if you're in San Antonio, go get a massage from him.

Massage San Antonio: Nerve Entrapment Syndromes And Massage Therapy