Expectational Debt
Merlin Mann introduced this idea in his (relatively) new podcast, Back to Work and its a concept which, for me, hit a button. In a nut, it is the psychology burden one experiences from the expectations relating to one's outputs. These expectations can be real or perceived, from others or ourselves, they can seem minor in isolation but are cumulative in effect. The end result is that you carry around a great deal of ill-will, nearly all internal, due to the gap, again perceived or real, between those expectations and your output. I guess the key is to manage those expectations1 in such a way that minimises the debt. So, lets get those expectations out there...
My expectations in creating this blog are numerous. The foundation of these expectations is that I am crazy about airport safety - from the high level safety management aspects to the nitty-gritty of runway markings, bird control and so on. I expect this blog to serve as a record of my personal research into all things airport safety. I expect to post around once a week and posts to be made up of a number of things.
At the lower end of the scale, I like to surf the Internet and find interesting tidbits of information on airport safety and operation - youtube videos, news reports, links etc.
At the other end, there are a couple of larger projects I want to complete for my own personal development and I want to share them here. The first such project in the works is an extremely cut-down safety management system document for use at the smallest of certified aerodromes. There, I typed it. Now I've incurred a bit of expectational debt.
And if I may now be so bold - I'm going to tell you your expectations. Cutting the chase, if the following does not match your expectations then it would be good to leave now and avoid the crushing disappointment of more time wasted. However, if you are interested in any or all aspects of airport safety and don't mind the potential ramblings of someone looking for clear, practical answers to safety questions...
Welcome.
1 - Another concept discussed by Merlin but appears to come from a 1994 book by Naomi Karten
Header image: Laura Balbarde (via Pexels)
