Category Archives: Work

I am busy

Man!  Am I busy?  Hell yeah!  I am VERY busy now.  What a difference a month makes.  I now have work, school and personal life that I am trying to balance.  The positive side is that I am watching less TV.  The negative side is that I am playing less games.  😦

I have really been riding the PVR pretty hard.  I take whatever spare moments I have to watch bits and pieces of my favourite shows at different times.  I also tend to listen to podcasts as I work.  I try to get through it all and not lose too much of who I am.

I am now wondering about priorities in terms of how much time I want to devote to all the priorities.  I think it is politically correct to say that family is my #1 priority.  The truth is that it should be balanced with all the others so that everyone is happy and nobody is taken for granted or becomes the source of resentment.

I wish I could add about 4 hours a day.  That would be great.  Any ideas?

Stay interested and interesting!

John

I like my job

I guess it may sound a little weird to some and quite natural to others.  Please do not judge if you are of a different view.  I like my job.  I have determined that it is mostly about the people I work with.  They are very experienced, are fun to work with and like to have fun.  So, I fit in!  🙂

Knowing I like my job does not mean that it is the perfect fit or that I will stay with it forever.  However, it does mean that I am that much happier and am not actively pursuing anything else.

It is important to like your job.  It is more important to take a step back from time to time and realize why.  Then, you should go back to work and thank those that make it all possible.  This does not necessarily mean your boss!  Think about it.

Stay interested and interesting!

John

Execution Catalyst

Over the last couple of days, I have been in Toronto on a course called Execution Catalyst.  I never knew there was such a course for contract killers.  I got to learn new and improved techniques for executing people quicker.

…Wait a minute!  I am getting news that I completely missed the point!  It was something about managing people and their execution of tasks and projects.  I guess I have to be a better manager and not just a killer…  A little less exciting, but a lot more legal!

It was pretty good, but I have to try out the new techniques and figure out if they really work.  More to come…

Stay interested and interesting!

John

Budget

I hate budgeting for myself.  I find it to be tedious, frustrating and, sometimes, discouraging.  So, I have decided to take a “just don’t spend” approach.  I figure if I spend the least possible, I won’t really have to follow my budget because my riches will just build in my bank account.

The only issue I have found so far is that IT IS HARD!!  The consumerist society we live in values spending as much as possible.  I really have to find ways of making more money AND spending less.  The barter system would be really good, but I have not found a skill within myself that fits.  I guess I will have to push the “making more money” part!  I think I will go incorporate myself now…

Stay interested and interesting!

John

Balance

I am sure that you have heard that variety is the spice of life. Well, balance is a synonym and rightfully so. I hear “work – life” quite a bit these days and do not disagree in principle, but I think that we are looking at it the wrong way. Instead of pushing for change in how we, as employees, are managed, we should be managing ourselves. There is great freedom in the choice of how you live your life, and that includes work.

I am not saying you should go in to work tomorrow and tell off your boss. I am just saying that YOU can take more control of how you perform your duties, especially if you are a salary worker. I, one among many, get a yearly salary and have a bonus structure in place that pays out against certain performance indicators. In theory, I could work ten hours a week and still get full salary if my objectives are met. In practice, it is a little more difficult and if you have a good manager, they will know that you are not working to your capacity, which may be very different than others.

However, you DO have control. Work is part of your life, whether you want to admit it or not. In our beloved capitalist society, we have the freedom to chose our path and have many opportunities to better ourselves. Unfortunately, many of us do not fully understand how to get to where we want to go and how to start, me included. I can not tell you how to succeed, because I am still working on it myself!  🙂

What you can control is the level of pleasure you get from your job. You should have fun at work every day. You should enjoy the people you work with and feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day, or at least at the end of the month! If you are not having fun, do not like the people and have no idea why you are there, LEAVE. There is plenty of work out there and if you can not find anything to your liking, you have many avenues to explore in creating your own. This last option is VERY interesting to me. The sense of ownership gives you more desire to succeed and the intimate knowledge you will develop will certainly drive new passion in to your life. Lastly, it will become your LIFE, and you will want it to be.

Be brave souls and try something new. Make your own path and be happy. Nobody else will do it for you. You have to want it for yourself and success will follow in one form or another.

Stay interested and interesting!

John

PS: This post was written while listening to Ratatat. It is instrumental, but very upbeat. I think you will either love it or hate it. Try it though, because you will never know otherwise. 😉

Work

Man! Having work to do AND Ashley with me really puts a cramp on my writing! Who would have thunk it?

It has been an eventful week with new work to do, but some more friends that have left the company. Though I met with a former VP today and he is doing well. He is doing some consulting while he looks for something a little more stable. I am sure he will be fine.

Weirdly enough, I have not spoken to anyone who is REALLY upset about being let go. They seem to be taking it in stride and reveling in the freedom. I can certainly understand where they are coming from. With all the day to day stress taken away, I would imagine they are taking a bit of time for it all to sink in and be happy that they don’t have to be tied to their Blackberry all day and night. AND, all the long term pressures from work are gone. In a way, I envy them. Though, I would rather have the certainty of a job right now and continue to see what opportunities there are before I finally decide to stay with the company or not. Change is a great thing after all. 🙂

I hope you are all happy with your jobs. If not, start looking. You should be happy in a place where you will spend a lot of your time.

Stay interested and interesting!

PS: New Diggnation this evening on Revision3.com

John

Networking

Don’t kid yourself. Of course it’s who you know. What you know is important too, but who knows what you know is even more important.

Living near the seat of the federal government, I know many people who are civil servants. Generally, they got their jobs through a contact, be it a family member, friend or previous business contact. Some would say that this reflects the unfair nature of government employment and the rampant nepotism we hear so much about. I used to share this opinion and would vehemently oppose anyone who obtained employment this way, in the government or in private industry. With age, some sort of bizarre feeling came over me. I will call it wisdom. It made me realize a few things.

First, when hiring a new employee, it is much easier to go with a known quantity. So recommendations from peers and friends go a long way in establishing the baseline for the person. There are always general things we want to know: Does this person work hard? Will they help me if a deadline is fast approaching and we need all hands on deck? Do they have the right skill set to help me? How do they compliment the team? Etc. All these questions could be asked and answered in an interview, but you would only get the applicants side of the story, which is usually very positive and tends to be on the “what I want to hear” side. A different perspective from people we trust helps build the profile a little better.

Second, knowing the person you are hiring makes it easier to build the working relationship. You have common points of discussion and, possibly, interests. A huge part of the employer / employee relationship is communication. Whatever makes that easier is an asset for both parties. We often hear that people don’t leave jobs, they leaves bosses. If you can set that part straight right off the bat, then you have a much better chance of long term success.

Lastly, if you think about some of the old world ways, we have to protect our people. People can be very broad and does not have to include anything like racism, nepotism or any other form of discrimination that is explicitly illegal. Protecting your people is as simple as an executive that leaves one company and brings his/her contingent over to the new company. They have a team they trust and that has had success in the past. They feel comfortable working together and have a good dynamic. Why give that up? Unless there is something prohibiting them from hiring their team in the new position, it is actually in their best interest to have the team follow.

It is interesting how are views change with time and experience. I am surprised with my view now given my past. I would certainly not agree with myself between when I was twenty and today. The world has moved on and so have I. Does it mean I am smarter? Probably not. But it does mean that I am adapting and learning. So should you.

Stay interested and interesting!

John

Work

I really need to continue writing my book: “Taking the toil out of work”  (Working title.  No pun intended…).  I want to have enthusiasm for the work I do.  Part and parcel in gaining this energy is being able to do something that I am interested in and makes use of my knowledge.

Early in life, my mother really ingrained the maxim that I could do anything I set my mind to.  Apparently, I took it to heart, because I still believe it.  The only thing in my way is myself.  If I really want to do something, I will make time for it and improve myself through education and research.  Does thing mean that I am overconfident?  I don’t think so, but then I am biased!  🙂

With work, we find ourselves in a society that values work over many other pieces of what makes us who we are.  I find myself asking the traditional question “what do you do?” any time I meet someone new.  My expectation is that they will tell me how they make a living.  I would be very surprised to hear someone tell me they watch football and love popcorn.  I would wonder how the hell they make a living at that and where to sign up!  I expect them to tell me that they are an accountant, construction worker or engineer.

We each spend in the area of fourty hours a week, some more, some less, working to pay our bills.  Some people are betting at living simply and putting emphasis on other pursuits, such as travel for example, over wordly goods, but they are certainly the exception.  Others balance life outside of work and at work by seperating them completely.  If it is after four o’clock, don’t ask them about work, that is their personal time!  Finally, there are those who seem to have mastered the blend of both and have made their passions their work.   This leads them to WANT to work and takes the “toil” part out of it.  I am still trying to find how I can get to that point.

There is more to this story and I will certainly add to it as we go along.  Hopefully, there will be a few more of you around to read it!

For now, stay interested and interesting!

John

Leadership Rant

Take responsibility and be a leader!

If you are in a role where you are called a boss and or are in charge, you should be a leader.  This means many different things to different people. There are a few things is does NOT mean.  It does not mean to give orders and make people do the boring parts you do not like.  It does not mean that your opinion is the only one that matters or that you always have the answer.  You don’t.  Admit it.  Let the truth set you free!

Being a leader means knowing your people and what motivates them.  It means listening more than talking.  It means taking the time to make sure that the person you are leading feels like there is nothing that can upset your conversation.  They are the most important person.  A great example is to tell them that they have an hour and it is all theirs.  If the President calls, tell the person you are leading who is calling and that you will call them back later, they are more important.  If the President is a true leader, the President will understand.

Being a leader also means admitting your mistakes and learning from them.  Do not be afraid to tell your people that you are fallible and you need them to point out your mistakes so you can learn from them and not repeat them.  “Those who can not remember the past are doomed to repeat it”  -George Santayana.  George has it right.  Get to know the history and reasons why people made the decisions they did.  The timing and players may be different this time around, so do not be afraid to try again if the circumstances seem right.  The risk may well be worth it.  BUT!!!  TELL YOUR PEOPLE WHY YOU THINK IT IS RIGHT!!!  And for God’s sake, let your people take risks and fail without threatening to, or actually firing them!!  Nothing risked, nothing gained.  Remember that!

Being a leader means being honest.  You have to be honest with your people and, more importantly, with yourself.  Only by living your values and beliefs will you give the best of yourself.  And only by being open and honest with your people will you gain their trust and insight.  Only by being someone they have absolute confidence in will you be able to get their true potential to shine and with it, yourself.

In conclusion, I have my point of view on what makes a great leader.  I have tried to put these values in to practice with my own teams.  So far, feedback has been positive, but I know I still have a lot to learn.  Hopefully, I am learning quickly enough to have a positive impact on my team’s work and personal lives.  I certainly strive to.