EGM and I sometimes discuss how positive feedback can be hard to come by in science. A case in point: EGM's close colleague passed around a manuscript for friendly review before submitting it for publication. The response of the most senior person who read the paper? The manuscript looks fine.
Fine? It looks fine? Not, this will make a nice contribution, or good work? At least we know it's not personal.
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In our lab the shining height of positive feedback is a post-it note on your draft that reads "interesting". At least that's what we think it says - the handwriting's a little difficult to make out.
It should tell you something that said post-it note has been immortalized as a permanent fixture above the recipient's desk...even two years after that person has moved on. Yep. That's how scarce the praise is around here.
I myself expect no such post-it as the boss has finally arrived in the 21st century and figured out how to use "track changes" in word. He no longer prints drafts and scrawls suggestions in the margins. No post-its either.
I'm glad we're not killing so many trees, but it kills my soul a little to know that I will never get an "interesting" post-it note.
Wow, AA, that's tough!
They all have some characteristic super-subtle compliment. If my advisor really likes something, she says it "reads well". It took me a while to understand how significant that is!
But it's just *gold* once you do figure out how significant that is.
Congrats on the "reads well"!!
You know, I think it's hard for me to own a compliment that is given to *the work* or *the writing* or *the data*. "This is interesting." "This reads well." "These data are very elegant." It's impersonal, even if it's my own work - as if the data or draft or whatever just assembled itself and I was peripheral to the whole thing.
I would probably pee my pants if someone said to me, "you did a good job." Not that it's likely to happen, but the acknowledgment of MY role in it would be pretty awesome.
This little exchange has been enlightening - I might blog it if that's OK with you.
I recently got a "good job" from a PI at another institution and I did freak out, rather.
I might blog it if that's OK with you.
Of course!
I guess I would expect a more critical response. Things that might make it a stronger paper, would help its publishability, rather than just an "it's alright". It almost sounds like they didn't really go into the details of the paper, I would find it frustration.
Good point, Makita. It is worse to get no useable critique in combination with no praise. In this case, however, there were some critical comments following the "draft is fine" statement that I neglected to mention.
I would take that compliment any day!
All my advisor has said upon seeing the draft is: "This is crap," or "This is really bad," or some version of that. And this is not personal too—he is like this with everyone in the group.
Next time maybe they could just tell him that his manuscript is really neat or cute. :)
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