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Random thoughts III

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00clone said:
to find a person that's 100% what you need is so difficult that you have to learn to make due with someone that's 75% of it and fill the gap some other way...and that falls on you somehow...either to fill it yourself, or to somehow get it filled by someone else in a way that doesn't ruin their job satisfaction.
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Damn, man. That was well said.

I think managing people can be really rewarding in the right environment if you're empowering (I really hate that word) them, but when you end up being a babysitter, forget it.

I've managed 15 people before and despised it because I had zero control on discipline. You've got to be able to show people that there are consequences for their laziness or there's no hope of improving the situation. Now I'm only over 4 people and can show someone the door if needed. Night and day.

Every company is going to be different though. In a more corporate setting, not wanting to be a manager can often be construed as having no desire to better yourself (or the company). And if someone doesn't want to advance but still expects to keep getting raises, they could just as easily be replaced by someone for less money.
 
00clone said:
I am not currently a manager, but have been. I enjoy leading, but hate babysitting....hate, hate, hate it. The leadership position I was in within the organization I'm in meant that I was responsible for babysitting if I needed to, but didn't have the authority to quickly eliminate the babysitting problem people.

The biggest thing that changed after being a leader from when I wasn't a leader is that you totally look at things differently, and I can't concisely describe it, either. The biggest caveat I'd give to those considering leadership is to really evaluate why you want to be a leader. There are those who want to be a leader because 'in charge' seems like a good thing to be. There are those who want to be a leader because a promotion means success and if you don't get promoted you're not successful, apparently. If either of those is present, the first can be a sign of an internal issue of ego or confidence, and the second is not necessarily true. I'd also suggest that you take some time to evaluate what truly makes you feel fulfilled at work? For me, it's that I feel like things went better because I went to work that day than they would have had I not came in, and in a way beyond any old body in the seat. Because I knew something, or could see something, I influenced good things to happen. I've had that in most of my non-leader roles, but not all. I had two different leader roles, one I didn't much feel that, because of the nature of the business I was leading...there just wasn't that much I could do on a daily basis to affect outcomes. In the other, I had that very much, but then the organizational constraints on fixing the babysitting problems got to me, since I could see that improving more would mean getting the right people on the bus and the wrong off, but I couldn't get the wrong ones off the bus efficiently. If you understand what makes you feel fulfilled, look at the leadership role, and does it give you that?

My fulfillment can be achieved as an individual contributor, or as a leader, but in both cases, it depends on the circumstances. I would consider being a leader again, this whole deal with my boss taking another job has me wondering whether I want to take it on again, but it would have to be the right situation, 'cause I have a job now that fulfills me well, isn't so demanding that I feel like I'm giving up family time (well, other than just my work schedule entirely), and I'm financially comfortable.

And not to criticize, but I think at times you struggle with others' shortcomings. Now, sure, it seems like a manager would be able to fix that easily (just fire them), but it's not always that easy. In my case, it was organizational politics, in other cases, to find a person that's 100% what you need is so difficult that you have to learn to make due with someone that's 75% of it and fill the gap some other way...and that falls on you somehow...either to fill it yourself, or to somehow get it filled by someone else in a way that doesn't ruin their job satisfaction. I don't say that as something that makes me think you couldn't be a leader, but as something to think about keeping a handle on.
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as to the last part, I don't disagree. I greatly enjoyed working with interns and teaching them. I like working with good people (who doesn't?) and for the most part, I think it would be "good" people not requiring babysitting (that would be so not my thing). The other person here who I trained and was frustrated by would probably have been helped if I had had more authority over them, if that makes sense. I didn't feel I had any ability to tell them what they needed to work on. But yeah, I would have concerns over that - though what I vent online and what I say or do in person are very different things. I'm comfortable doing what I do now. I enjoy it. Do I feel extreme satisfaction or fulfillment from it? Probably not most days. I technically turned down what would have been a promotion (the person I trained) and that was the right choice. But I've expressed concern over how it would limit future opportunities should I turn down a second one. And then there's the whole question of more responsibilities meaning more hours (maybe?) stress, challenges.....would I feel that it's worth it?

IDK, whenever I see other people (especially younger women) get these chances I'm like "yay, go you! You will rock this and be so great at it!" and now I'm like eeeeeeeeeeeek I don't know that it's something I want. Even though I don't think I just want to be "comfortable" forever.
 
I will say my concern over the opportunity that I turned down two years ago would not be a concern here. I did not want to deal with the management I would have had.....I can very confidently say that while I very much like my current boss and their boss (who was my manager until very recently), if I had to be someone else's report, I'd pick the manager for this opportunity in a heartbeat.
 
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So we went into the walk-in clinic today to see what might be wrong with husband. (They think a sinus infection in the left cavity of the forehead)

Anyway!

As my husband's at the desk, giving his info, there was a lady with a 2.5-3 year old boy in the waiting room, I believe waiting for a ride after being seen. The boy was wandering around, getting perhaps a little too close to other people, getting places he really shouldn't have been. Mom never moved. "Andrew, get over here. Andrew, come sit down right now..." Even I, non-parent, knew this was falling on deaf ears, and probably he should have been gathered up and kept from wandering. (No matter how much he protested)

So, we're called back immediately, nurse takes pulse/temp/bp, and the NP comes in less than 5 minutes later. Not 3 minutes into his exam, the fire alarm goes off. (One of those "WONK WONK WONK *pause* WONK WONK WONK") The NP rolls his eyes, says "I bet a kid in the waiting room pulled it." He sticks his head out quick to make sure there isn't an actual fire, and tries to continue his exam while the office staff try to turn off the alarm and get a hold of OFD so they at least know it's not urgent. Problem is, the staff can't find the key.

Needless to say, I'm 88% sure lil' Andrew got a hold of that alarm. I'm not so certain about any type of scolding/punishment from mom, though.
 
I'm pretty sure the fire alarm was the hospital's fault for putting it where people could reach it. If they put that handle at about nine and a half feet they wouldn't have this problem.

Andrew's mom should sue.
 
I have a long to-do list in preparation for another birthday tomorrow, overnight guests, and party including cleaning house and baking, baking, and more baking. Not on the list for today? Buy a new van. It is 1pm and what have I gotten done? Bought a new van. More like picked up the one we had picked out almost a month ago.

I'm like cyrevkah--by BMI I am still overweight (short people don't get a lot of leeway). By looks and how clothes fit (and number of push ups, yo) I am in pretty decent shape. But let's face it, my German genetics are not athletic/thin. And after 4 kids I probably fall a lot closer to a mom bod than a fitness model. :)
 
Cybirdy said:
I have a long to-do list in preparation for another birthday tomorrow, overnight guests, and party including cleaning house and baking, baking, and more baking. Not on the list for today? Buy a new van. It is 1pm and what have I gotten done? Bought a new van. More like picked up the one we had picked out almost a month ago.

I'm like cyrevkah--by BMI I am still overweight (short people don't get a lot of leeway). By looks and how clothes fit (and number of push ups, yo) I am in pretty decent shape. But let's face it, my German genetics are not athletic/thin. And after 4 kids I probably fall a lot closer to a mom bod than a fitness model. :)
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well, a new van does sound spiffy.


and yes, I'm not a huge BMI fan either. I try to roughly estimate body fat percentage which is also not great to do without calipers if you have muscle. But I think that it gives me a more realistic idea of where I'm at vs. BMI.
 
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