I still remember the conversation I had with my Mom at age ten, “I’m going to be a boss so I can tell others what to do. I like being in charge.” There were many times growing up when I had to remind my parents that I don’t have a problem with authority as long as I am the one who has the authority. My parents laughed at my naïve approach to life. Once they even sat me down to explain that part of being a boss is dealing with other people’s problems and concerns. Of course I didn’t listen because as a teenager I know everything. This past week has definitely been one of those weeks of “OK now I am the boss, why did I want to do this?”
My profession is such that unless I am working as a consultant or an outsourcer I will always be considered a support service to the company’s core competency or an expense center. So when conflict arises between my department and the departments that are perceived to actually make the money they are caught off guard when I don’t prostrate before them and allow them to walk over me and my team. I learning with my current company I am coming very close to killing “sacred cows” with my Christian attitude from 1 Corinthians 12: 14-26. My attitude being, we are all part of the same body (corporate entity) and for the body to function correctly all members must be working (fulfilling their stewardships) together harmoniously. This is unique standpoint for a culture that is based on end runs and politically pounding your coworker into submission before you can establish a cordial business relationship.
This past month I’ve been working with an employee who has failed fantastically at his job. As I have tried to help him see that no matter how hard he tries he isn’t cut out for his job and that this culture is going to continue to eat him alive, I have found myself pondering if I am much different than he is? I took this job for two reasons it has a decent college reimbursement program while I work on my Masters Degree and it was the only job that was open that would meet my salary requirements when I left my last company. As I work through the week I keep getting closer to killing those “sacred cows” and I remind myself “ I can make it through the next three and a half years but do I want to?” The reasons to go are evenly balanced by the reasons to stay. I laugh as I think back to when I though being the boss meant you were in charge. I had no concept of how constrained a manager is by corporate culture, traditions, policies that were created because of fear, and the fact that managers have managers who don’t want attention brought to their work areas.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Horray she is here.
When my first child was born I typically summed up the labor and delivery as being the most traumatic experience in my life. My wife agreed with me. After sitting in a hospital for over 16 hours and the watching my wife have to push the kid for over two hours our son came into the world. Thankfully kid two was much quicker.
Our daughter deiced she would show up about a week late. We received a phone call at 4:00 AM asking if we could be at the hospital by 5:30 AM for induction. We got there and spent most of the day watching my wife’s Pit bag empty. Around 1:30 PM the nurse came to see how things were going and then cranked up the Pit. She came back when my wife felt some discomfort and found out the baby was making her appearance. My wife was thrilled that she only had to spend less than 15 minutes pushing compared to the previous delivery.
My son, who loves babies, is ecstatic to have one living with us. He proudly announces to anyone within earshot “I’m the big brother.” We have to watch out as he tries to be helpful. When I took him to the hospital to see is little sister I turned my back for two seconds I turned back around to see him standing over the basinet dropping a full size pillow on her. He then exclaimed “I gave her a pillow.” While he is a smart kid we haven’t quite taught him the meaning of asphyxiation. Since then we have tried to teach him that babies don’t receive “Head butts of Love”, they don’t need blankets pulled over their faces, and that it is not OK to forcibly roll babies over. The reason God made children so limber and durable is so they can survive their parents and siblings.
After leaving the Hospital Kid 2 was hit with Jaundice so she spent a couple days on the “baby tanning bed” after receiving a Priesthood blessing. She is fine now but the Doc is insisting that she doesn’t weigh enough. Other than that she is alert and your typical newborn.
Our daughter deiced she would show up about a week late. We received a phone call at 4:00 AM asking if we could be at the hospital by 5:30 AM for induction. We got there and spent most of the day watching my wife’s Pit bag empty. Around 1:30 PM the nurse came to see how things were going and then cranked up the Pit. She came back when my wife felt some discomfort and found out the baby was making her appearance. My wife was thrilled that she only had to spend less than 15 minutes pushing compared to the previous delivery.
My son, who loves babies, is ecstatic to have one living with us. He proudly announces to anyone within earshot “I’m the big brother.” We have to watch out as he tries to be helpful. When I took him to the hospital to see is little sister I turned my back for two seconds I turned back around to see him standing over the basinet dropping a full size pillow on her. He then exclaimed “I gave her a pillow.” While he is a smart kid we haven’t quite taught him the meaning of asphyxiation. Since then we have tried to teach him that babies don’t receive “Head butts of Love”, they don’t need blankets pulled over their faces, and that it is not OK to forcibly roll babies over. The reason God made children so limber and durable is so they can survive their parents and siblings.
After leaving the Hospital Kid 2 was hit with Jaundice so she spent a couple days on the “baby tanning bed” after receiving a Priesthood blessing. She is fine now but the Doc is insisting that she doesn’t weigh enough. Other than that she is alert and your typical newborn.
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