Stampin' Up! Should Hire More Swedes

I just finished reading Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, and the title of this post is just one of the many startling conclusions I reached on my journey through the book.

Let me explain.

Last February, when I was toying with the idea of finding another full-time job, I saw an open position at Stampin' Up! that I briefly considered applying for. But one phrase in the job description made it clear this job was NOT for me. 

The phrase was: "must have a high tolerance for ambiguity."

If I know anything about myself, it's that I have a very low tolerance for ambiguity, which is one of the reasons I have not yet cultivated a deep appreciation for modern poetry.

I spend 83% of my time in the act of clarification. I'm either:

• clarifying what I just said
• repeating myself but in a slightly different form (or sometimes just louder) so there's no chance of misinterpretation
• fretting that I may recently have been misunderstood
• asking questions to make sure I understand precisely what you just said
• rewriting and re-punctuating sentences so there's no possible way they could be misread
• explaining to other people that my husband was only kidding just in case the nuances of his humor escape them

My husband, Travis, who's comfortable floating in a constant sea of ambiguity, occasionally finds it exhausting to speak to me. "How is it possible that you're unclear about what I just said?" he'll say. I just shrug. "Well, I just want to make sure we're on the same page." (But that's not precisely true, I don't just want to be on the same page with people, I want to be on the same word, or letter if possible.)

Trav is perfectly fine expressing himself in the general neighborhood of what he means. He thinks the "gist" of things is generally sufficient. Not I. I am rarely satisfied with a mere gist.

This brings me to the Swedes.

In Gladwell's book, in a chapter titled, "The Ethnic Theory of Plane Crashes," he talks about how different cultures are more prone to "tolerating ambiguity" while others practice "uncertainty avoidance." There's even a country-by-country database that ranks countries on the scale.

The biggest "uncertainty avoiders" are:
Greece
Portugal
Guatemala
Uruguay
Belgium
Angie Lucas

Those most tolerant of ambiguity include:
Hong Kong
Sweden
Denmark
Jamaica
Singapore
Travis Lucas

So, Stampin' Up! if you haven't filled that position yet, you might consider doing a bit of cultural profiling.

Another interesting tidbit I picked up from my friend* Malcolm:
In general, Western communication is "transmitter oriented." In other words, it is considered the responsibility of the speaker to communicate ideas clearly. Hey, I'm just taking my responsibilities very seriously.

In many Eastern countries, however, communication is "receiver oriented." It's up to the listener to make sense of being said. In an environment like this, I would be sure to drive everyone crazy, including myself.

* I'm taking liberties with the term "friend" because I actually e-mailed him once, and he actually responded. And then I made a layout about it.

I have a lot more thoughts about this book, and others I've read recently, and I think I may post some actual book reviews, rather than just random reflections and connections like this one. So stay tuned.

Incidentally, this is one of the things I love most about reading. It opens up my mind and helps me discover new ways of thinking about myself and the world. These "ambiguity avoidance" epiphanies are the kind of thing I save in my Encylopedia of Angie Lucas's Ordinary Life journal, which I started years ago after reading the memoir by Amy Krause Rosenthal. My version is just an ongoing Word document saved on my computer, with various ruminations and memories organized alphabetically by topic. I filed select portions of this post under "ambiguity."

Have you made any discoveries about yourself lately? Make sure you're saving them somewhere.

Comments

[elizabeth]

I'm just over halfway on this one... haven't gotten to the ambiguity part yet : ) How funny we were reading this at the same time, and even funnier? This post.

[kelli]

I think my husband talks in code, we've been married almost 15 yrs. and I still don't have the magic decoder ring.
"You need to add more words to that sentence if you want me to understand what it is you are saying to me" has become my catch phrase.

[Stefani Meyer]

Bahahahaha! That is the funniest thing I've ever heard about a job description. It must be an ongoing problem if they thought to include it.

Also my husband just thinks I'm a mind reader. I'm supposed to understand without him communicating anything. And if I ask a question like, "What do you mean?" He responds with, "what do you think I mean?" Thank you for putting some of my frustration into words. I think my daughter is doomed to the same fate of low ambiguity tolerance. We can't use figures of speech around her.... AKKKK TOO MANY MEANINGS!

[Nick Matyas]

Its really nice post....
I was searching this kind of posting .....
I just liked it....
Thanks....

webroyalty

[Barb]

Okay, I actually LOLed when I read your lists of countries. Well, maybe it wasn't an all-out laugh, but it was audible. Maybe it was more of a snort with a wee bit of choking and gasping for air involved. (Clear enough for ya?)

I'm all about clear, non-ambiguous writing. I appreciate it when I read it, but I don't always take the time to put it into practice. :P

[Jennifer Larson]

Thought-provoking post! I'm half Swedish--not sure how I feel about ambuguity, though. I am a finisher, so maybe I didn't get the Swedish gene for ambiguity tolerance. The other half is German, which strikes me as fairly intolerant of ambiguity. Maybe that's where it comes from.

[denise:)]

I can't believe SU admitted they have an ambiguity issue! That's hilarious!

Almost as hilarious as this post!

[JennyW]

"I just shrug. "Well, I just want to make sure we're on the same page." (But that's not precisely true, I don't just want to be on the same page with people, I want to be on the same word, or letter if possible.)"
Hands down my favorite thing I've read today :)

[Brandi]

Funnier, this could not be.
Thanks for the sniggle.

Brandi

[Kelli P.]

I love your wit and your style of writing, Angie! This one should go in your Top Ten or under this entry in your Encyclopedia: Blog, the way to write a proper post (also see "ambuigity avoidance".

Thanks for the laugh!

[Nicole S.]

Angie, you crack me up.

[Jennifer McGuire (not the CK one)]

You make me laugh! I mean it. I laughed while reading this post.

[Francine Clouden]

You totally crack me up. I think our husbands would get along. Mine drives me crazy, I am forever asking him to clarify things too. Throw in the language difference, and it gets even more interesting!

And I can't help but wonder what the heck SU means really?

[Katy]

You make me laugh, no ambuigity there. :)

[Susan Raihala]

Ambiguity ROCKS! It's where we literary critics thrive. Sheesh, if a book meant just one thing, we'd all be out of jobs.

Oh, wait. I don't have a job. Maybe SU needs me....

[Mosaic Maiden]

LOL! I am a Jamaican living in Sweden!
But I am a newbie!