Ok so work isn't all bad. My group is running very well. Nothing is perfect but it's really doing very well. My people are really starting to show their development and gain confidence in their work. My co-manager is really starting to find his rhythm. He was side-lined a bit in the beginning due to stuff outside of work but now he is really taking the reins.
It's really good stuff.
The warm weather in Boston has really help everyone's attitudes, which is always a good thing.
Ok so I was a little harsh on those two people in my venting. Those two are actually very hard workers. They have a little growing to do to make the next level, but they are very good performers. They really had me frustrated that day. Oh well, they will figure out what they need to. They are very smart. They definitely have bright futures. They'll probably be my bosses someday... Who knows... I definitely believe that all they need is some experience there isn't anything they can't learn.
Here is a question that I pose to the world: "WHAT IS THE POINT OF HAVING A PIN NUMBER TO RESET YOUR PASSWORD?!?!"
Think about it for a second. They expect me to forget the password, but don't expect me to forget the PIN number!!! So where's the logic to this. I mean I figure I forget my password maybe like once every 3 months. That means a password that I use say once a day or once a week they expect me to forget, but a PIN number that I don't use more often than once a quarter they expect me to remember!!! What's with that!!! So instead of using my social security number or something that I have to remember to be a human being in the United States. They use a contrived number that I won't remember ever... Smart. Well at least these people aren't the ones designing my car brakes.
OK so the last few days at work have been tough. I have faced employee melt-down, mental collapse, the inability to sleep.
Just to put things into context. I am a first line manager at a big fund accounting company. I work with a lot of entry level people. Suffice it to say not all entry level people have a realistic view of the way the world works. To be honest I probably don't either. I have only been out of school for like 4 years now. It feels like a life time ago, but that's what happens when you are in a job that eats up 95% of your waking life for 2 years. (ok so I'm rambling.)
What I was getting to is... Do all people coming out of school these days feel that they are entitled to promotions and money regardless of ability or attitude!!! I mean what happened to work ethic. I have in the last couple of days watched two of my brightest young people collapse under just minimal pressure. One of them was whining so bad I thought I was going to choke the person. Why is it that they have the idea that I owe them a promotion?
Ok so I promoted a girl in my group after just 6 months, but she was the greatest thing since sliced bread. She worked her ass off for me. She put in tons of extra time, and completed every assignment I ever gave her with very little complaint, and to top it all off she is good at dealing with other people. Since the promotion she has performed excellently, doing tasks I didn't think someone with only 6 months experience could handle.
But why is it that these other two think they can skate into a promotion. Like just doing what they are paid to do is enough to earn them the next step. I see it a lot in all the groups around here. Go the extra mile... Be positive... Fight for recognition... Try... For crying out loud!!!
For anyone out there who is young... When someone places a challenge in front of you don't just see it as more work. It's also a chance to show what you are capable of. Every new project is a chance to show that you can handle the next, and the next until you have shown someone that you are ready for the next step.
The people in my group are so good in so many ways, but they are so frustrating in so many others.
"Doing Laundry... You know you have waited too long when you have to wash your socks in two separate loads, or when you're sorting cloths not just by color, but by obscure categories just because you know it'll take more than one day to finish."
Just to put it in context it was after I hadn't done laundry for at least a month... OK maybe longer.
Ok so I have never had a really good relationship with news sources. Newspapers are just a hassle, and TV news doesn't give you any meat. Recently however I have decided that it's time to get back into the know. So I signed up for a service called Bloglines. I know, I know news aggregators have been around for a while now... Well I've been busy. I hadn't even been able to watch TV in the last two years until I bought a TV tuner card to record TV shows. Ok but back to the point. This service is pretty cool. In a way it lets you compile your own news paper. Give it a try. I'm starting to know what's going on in the world again because of it.
This is a test post. I'm trying out using a blog site. We'll see if I can make it interesting.
