So I found myself in somewhat of a pleasant predicament today. My temp worker, the Amn, ran out of tasks to do today. Now, he didn't really run out, because there were a few loose ends on tasks I'd already assigned to him that he needed to tie up, but the fact of the matter is that this kid is hungry for things to do and ways to help out, and he's seriously challanging me to look hard at my workcenter to see what little odds and ends haven't been taken care of. I'm trying my best to marry up the tasks that I give him with training that he'll need to receive anyways as an information manager, and I think I've got a new project to throw at him.
His energy though is quite refreshing. It's causing me to raise my level just to make sure I don't lose this kid. It's forcing me to do what i haven't really had the time to do, audit my area, and look ahead for future problems. Another benefit that came from all this is a new idea for how to do the personnel system. I haven't had any new ideas on how to manage this problem in almost 4 months, but from having to explain how we do things to the Amn, and just hearing him ask those simple why questions, its really given me a chance to step back and re-evaluate how we do things. Not only that, but its given me new projects to give to him in the process.
Due to classes and other events tomorrow morning, it looks like it will just be me and the Amn in the office for a few hours. I think I'm going to just take advantage of the time and really pick the kids brain. He's a smart guy, and i have the feeling that if i just talk to him and try to go over the big picture of how we do things in my office, his perspective could give me some new ideas and revamp a few processes. At least very least it will lead to me modifying our database a little.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
08 July - entry 1
It's incredible what a difference in leadership styles can make. My boss is still gone, and my boss's boss is away for the week, which means I'm reporting to a recently retired Major. His philosophy is one of constant optimism. He's on a first name basis with every member in the squadron, he'll walk through the hallways with a smile, slap you on the back and ask you how your day is going. I had a really difficult issue to deal with today. One of my troops's father passed away last night, and he was informed today by his grandmother. Now he's not normally in my chain of command, but once again, with my boss gone, my responsibilities have temporarily expanded.
I didn't have a clue how to deal with this one at first. Sure I've lost all 4 grandparents in the last 10 years, but this is his dad, thats a huge difference. I got really lucky, first off the SMSgt is a very emotionally intelligent leader, second off Mr B (retired Major) really helped me compose myself and approach it all from the correct angle. The SSgt who had lost his father came in, me and the SMSgt sat down and talked with him for 20 minutes. I got a really good chance to watch her talk to the SSgt. It was enlightening and I hope to some day be able to talk to a troop in that manner. The guy was compartmentalizing his emotions, and just trying to deal with the business of getting his dad's estate in order, which is exactly what I'd be doing in that situation. The SMSgt was able to talk to him and give him sort of a working plan on how to settle his dad's estate, gave him some on base contacts he could use to help him get a handle on what he needed to to, and the guy, while still grieving of course, walked out of the office with a direction on what to do next.
I made the leadership comment earlier because while the SMSgt was able to help the SSgt deal, Mr. B Really helped me get a handle on things. I get a little nervious because it feels like there's a lot riding on how i handle things and after talking to Mr. B I really gained a lot of self confidence. Not that my commander is a bad person, she's probably one of the most technically competent leaders I've ever met, its just that she lacks a lot of warmth and relatability. Mr. B was able to take my self doubt and concerns about dealing with this issue in a proper manner and really put things into perspective, after walking out of his office, i felt like i could take on any issue that might come up.
I've noticed some negative moral trends in my section. I honestly think it has alot to do with the conversations that me and my TSgt have in the office. I need to find way to revamp the energy levels in my section. I need to cut out the negative conversations and focus on whats going right and how to improve current processes. Alot of this is dependent upon me lightening up my workload so that i can focus on these conversations, but I think I'm seeing a way to accomplish this in the next couple of weeks.
I didn't have a clue how to deal with this one at first. Sure I've lost all 4 grandparents in the last 10 years, but this is his dad, thats a huge difference. I got really lucky, first off the SMSgt is a very emotionally intelligent leader, second off Mr B (retired Major) really helped me compose myself and approach it all from the correct angle. The SSgt who had lost his father came in, me and the SMSgt sat down and talked with him for 20 minutes. I got a really good chance to watch her talk to the SSgt. It was enlightening and I hope to some day be able to talk to a troop in that manner. The guy was compartmentalizing his emotions, and just trying to deal with the business of getting his dad's estate in order, which is exactly what I'd be doing in that situation. The SMSgt was able to talk to him and give him sort of a working plan on how to settle his dad's estate, gave him some on base contacts he could use to help him get a handle on what he needed to to, and the guy, while still grieving of course, walked out of the office with a direction on what to do next.
I made the leadership comment earlier because while the SMSgt was able to help the SSgt deal, Mr. B Really helped me get a handle on things. I get a little nervious because it feels like there's a lot riding on how i handle things and after talking to Mr. B I really gained a lot of self confidence. Not that my commander is a bad person, she's probably one of the most technically competent leaders I've ever met, its just that she lacks a lot of warmth and relatability. Mr. B was able to take my self doubt and concerns about dealing with this issue in a proper manner and really put things into perspective, after walking out of his office, i felt like i could take on any issue that might come up.
I've noticed some negative moral trends in my section. I honestly think it has alot to do with the conversations that me and my TSgt have in the office. I need to find way to revamp the energy levels in my section. I need to cut out the negative conversations and focus on whats going right and how to improve current processes. Alot of this is dependent upon me lightening up my workload so that i can focus on these conversations, but I think I'm seeing a way to accomplish this in the next couple of weeks.
Monday, July 7, 2008
07 July - entry 1
I was really tempted to take the high road in the blogging tonight and ignore the class presentations, but i don't think i can. That and also work was fairly uneventful today. The first group's presentation wasn't bad at all. Yeah, it was a little dry and didn't provide me with much in the way of real world examples, but I think the ball game made up for that.
The guest speaker I've had some dealings with in the past, and am not fond of to say the least. His method of facilitating gets people to solve their own problems simply because they don't want to spend any more time in the same room with the guy. He's probably very good at the theory, and has extensive real world knowledge, but he definitely has a problem relating to the worker level and really can alienate a group of people by not talking to them in terms that mean anything to them. That could just be my opinion though.
The second groups first presentation was very well done, and had the last part of their presentation not existed, i wouldn't have been the wiser. It was really awkward to see the third member of the group present after the first two. Now, I can take my own guesses after having been forcibly subjected to his presentation as to why he was not included what the other two did however it was still blatantly obvious that they were not a group.
In an outsider situation like this, its got to be hard on how to grade the group. I mean sure the first two did a very good presentation, however it was a group project and the third member appeared to be excluded. Ultimately is your goal to present the material or is it learn and develop group dynamic skills? If its group dynamics then they obviously did not succeed, however if its just about the material, they did clearly present the material (until the meandering bit there at the end). My personal beliefs would be to hold the third member accountable for alienating himself and punish him while not fully absolving the other two of guilt and lowering their grade slightly. I mean after all, the guy's in a masters level management class and if he can't work well in a group presenting a chapter in a book, how can he possibly be a decent manager (or leader or whatever other label you choose to apply)?
Lesson learned however, our presentation needs to include real world examples and be unified. Luckily we have a really good group leader who is willing to compile the teams inputs into a seamless presentation.
The guest speaker I've had some dealings with in the past, and am not fond of to say the least. His method of facilitating gets people to solve their own problems simply because they don't want to spend any more time in the same room with the guy. He's probably very good at the theory, and has extensive real world knowledge, but he definitely has a problem relating to the worker level and really can alienate a group of people by not talking to them in terms that mean anything to them. That could just be my opinion though.
The second groups first presentation was very well done, and had the last part of their presentation not existed, i wouldn't have been the wiser. It was really awkward to see the third member of the group present after the first two. Now, I can take my own guesses after having been forcibly subjected to his presentation as to why he was not included what the other two did however it was still blatantly obvious that they were not a group.
In an outsider situation like this, its got to be hard on how to grade the group. I mean sure the first two did a very good presentation, however it was a group project and the third member appeared to be excluded. Ultimately is your goal to present the material or is it learn and develop group dynamic skills? If its group dynamics then they obviously did not succeed, however if its just about the material, they did clearly present the material (until the meandering bit there at the end). My personal beliefs would be to hold the third member accountable for alienating himself and punish him while not fully absolving the other two of guilt and lowering their grade slightly. I mean after all, the guy's in a masters level management class and if he can't work well in a group presenting a chapter in a book, how can he possibly be a decent manager (or leader or whatever other label you choose to apply)?
Lesson learned however, our presentation needs to include real world examples and be unified. Luckily we have a really good group leader who is willing to compile the teams inputs into a seamless presentation.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
04 July - entry 1
Today provided a great opportunity to just sit down and relax. I didn't go into work, didn't do any homework, and i didn't read any class materials. I just managed to sort of tune out for a day. Monday my new commander arrives. Now officially she won't be here till the 22nd, but she'll be on base monday and thus there will be, starting monday, a chance of running into her and making a first impression.
Now I'm confident in my job, and when it comes to things that are in my area of responsibility, i know i have them covered, which is a huge improvement to the last first impression i had with my current/soon to be previous squadron commander. So already I'm walking into this situation with a good knowledge of whats expected of me and where I'm at in the grand scheme of things, which helps, alot.
I've been told that I'm a little rough when it comes to my first impressions. I tend to be overly formal and somewhat cold. I personnally find that to be polite, i mean when talking to someone of higher rank/position, i leave it up to them to set the level of formality. I find it disrespectful when someone of lower rank/position talks to me in a familiar manner right off the bat, now when they do approach me in a formal manner i almost always lower it to something much more comfortable, but still being in the place of higher rank/position means that its up to you to set the level of formality. You've earned that right.
However, there is ways to be polite but friendly at the same time, and I think that's really the area in which i have a hard time. I tend to project what i respect in others. What i respect in others is the ability to know your subject, explain it as briefly as possible while still ensuring comprehension, and to give you the quick answers you need. So, because thats what I like to see in others, thats what i try to project when first meeting someone. I'm polite, i get straight to the point, explaining only what is neccessary along the way, and i give the answers to the questions I'm asked/know i will be asked, as soon as possible. While I respect that, its definitely a cold and mechanical way of going about things. I'll ask that guy for info all day long, but as far as really liking or trusting him, I wouldn't dream of that until the kid lightens up a bit.
I think that competence, humility with a dash of self effacing humor, and being thorough while keeping it brief is probably the best approach here. It says I know what I'm doing, I'm not a braggart, and I can take a joke. So how to get there, really i just need to get my half a dozen projects knocked out before monday. It means a little work over the weekend, but it will also put me into a much more relaxed position on monday to be able to focus on what I'm projecting to others.
Now I'm confident in my job, and when it comes to things that are in my area of responsibility, i know i have them covered, which is a huge improvement to the last first impression i had with my current/soon to be previous squadron commander. So already I'm walking into this situation with a good knowledge of whats expected of me and where I'm at in the grand scheme of things, which helps, alot.
I've been told that I'm a little rough when it comes to my first impressions. I tend to be overly formal and somewhat cold. I personnally find that to be polite, i mean when talking to someone of higher rank/position, i leave it up to them to set the level of formality. I find it disrespectful when someone of lower rank/position talks to me in a familiar manner right off the bat, now when they do approach me in a formal manner i almost always lower it to something much more comfortable, but still being in the place of higher rank/position means that its up to you to set the level of formality. You've earned that right.
However, there is ways to be polite but friendly at the same time, and I think that's really the area in which i have a hard time. I tend to project what i respect in others. What i respect in others is the ability to know your subject, explain it as briefly as possible while still ensuring comprehension, and to give you the quick answers you need. So, because thats what I like to see in others, thats what i try to project when first meeting someone. I'm polite, i get straight to the point, explaining only what is neccessary along the way, and i give the answers to the questions I'm asked/know i will be asked, as soon as possible. While I respect that, its definitely a cold and mechanical way of going about things. I'll ask that guy for info all day long, but as far as really liking or trusting him, I wouldn't dream of that until the kid lightens up a bit.
I think that competence, humility with a dash of self effacing humor, and being thorough while keeping it brief is probably the best approach here. It says I know what I'm doing, I'm not a braggart, and I can take a joke. So how to get there, really i just need to get my half a dozen projects knocked out before monday. It means a little work over the weekend, but it will also put me into a much more relaxed position on monday to be able to focus on what I'm projecting to others.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
02 July - entry 1
Today was fairly uneventful workwise, its going to be a little hard for me to find something to write about. I've had some personal issues in the dating world that are definitely affecting me. I got enough sleep last night, and while I have been carrying an increased workload lately, I think I've been handleing it fairly well, but I've had at least 5 people come up to me today and ask me whats wrong.
I didn't think i was carrying it all around like that, i suppose i was a bit more brisk, used a little bit more sarcasm than i normally would but i honestly had no idea that i was showing it all that much. Thats kind of an issue i don't know how to deal with. I mean i keep my personal life pretty segregated from my professional. I kind of have to really. And when it invades, effects my military bearing, and becomes so prominent it effects my interactions with my coworkers, i don't know what to do. I mean i can just say I'm having some dating problems, make a joke, and go about my day, which is what i ended up doing, but the issue here that really concerns me is that i had no idea i was visibly upset.
You can't control everything about your appearance, and certainly can't control other's perceptions of you. I need to find a better way to deal with my personal life. I've been trying to find the time to go to the gym mid day, and when i can make it, it really gives me a second wind for the rest of the day. I think I need to adjust my schedule a little better an make some time to go more often. I also took the time out to talk to my peers a little more. It felt nice to talk about it all a little bit, and I think it helped me relax a little.
Tomorrow's another day, lets see if i can go about it a little more calmly
I didn't think i was carrying it all around like that, i suppose i was a bit more brisk, used a little bit more sarcasm than i normally would but i honestly had no idea that i was showing it all that much. Thats kind of an issue i don't know how to deal with. I mean i keep my personal life pretty segregated from my professional. I kind of have to really. And when it invades, effects my military bearing, and becomes so prominent it effects my interactions with my coworkers, i don't know what to do. I mean i can just say I'm having some dating problems, make a joke, and go about my day, which is what i ended up doing, but the issue here that really concerns me is that i had no idea i was visibly upset.
You can't control everything about your appearance, and certainly can't control other's perceptions of you. I need to find a better way to deal with my personal life. I've been trying to find the time to go to the gym mid day, and when i can make it, it really gives me a second wind for the rest of the day. I think I need to adjust my schedule a little better an make some time to go more often. I also took the time out to talk to my peers a little more. It felt nice to talk about it all a little bit, and I think it helped me relax a little.
Tomorrow's another day, lets see if i can go about it a little more calmly
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
01 July - entry 1
First a follow up on yesterdays "action plan". I talked to the NCOIC of the section that houses the majority of the commercial certification trainees and got the A1C into a regular training program every afternoon. She's scheduled to test in 3 weeks.
Today was a little more manageable, i didn't have nearly the avalanche of work that i had encountered on Monday. All the same, i still found myself not being able to do my job as a leader in the mentoring and training of my shop personnel. I have a somewhat disgruntled TSgt who is, rightfully so, getting fed up with the changing manning plans for my workcenter. He's got a program he doesn't want to see collapse when he steps out on leave in october, and he needs a backup to train in order to ensure his programs smooth operations throughout his leave. While I know we are getting some help for him somewhere in the future, i can't promise the guy anything because i don't have the authority to pull personnel from other shops. I'm lobbying the best i can, however with the current relationship i have with my boss, I'm unsure at how loudly my voice will be heard. The only real grace i have is the prospect of a new commander here in a few weeks. I try not to put too much emphasis on this hope, because it is a wildly unpredictable thing, but, it potentially holds the key to easing my manning issues should she feel particularly generous. For now though, lets see what i can control.
Two functions, emergency management and anti terrorism/force protection, ended up in my office. They do not belong in my office, they belong in the unit control center. They were shuffled over to my office to provide continuity through the unit control center manning changeover, and were never taken back. I'm currently shining up these programs and doing my best to ensure they're up and running, and then I'll transfer them back to the unit control center when their manning increases in another couple weeks. I'm doing this to free up my shop from yet another additional duty, thus giving my personnel even more freedom to handle the workload they already have.
Today was a little more manageable, i didn't have nearly the avalanche of work that i had encountered on Monday. All the same, i still found myself not being able to do my job as a leader in the mentoring and training of my shop personnel. I have a somewhat disgruntled TSgt who is, rightfully so, getting fed up with the changing manning plans for my workcenter. He's got a program he doesn't want to see collapse when he steps out on leave in october, and he needs a backup to train in order to ensure his programs smooth operations throughout his leave. While I know we are getting some help for him somewhere in the future, i can't promise the guy anything because i don't have the authority to pull personnel from other shops. I'm lobbying the best i can, however with the current relationship i have with my boss, I'm unsure at how loudly my voice will be heard. The only real grace i have is the prospect of a new commander here in a few weeks. I try not to put too much emphasis on this hope, because it is a wildly unpredictable thing, but, it potentially holds the key to easing my manning issues should she feel particularly generous. For now though, lets see what i can control.
Two functions, emergency management and anti terrorism/force protection, ended up in my office. They do not belong in my office, they belong in the unit control center. They were shuffled over to my office to provide continuity through the unit control center manning changeover, and were never taken back. I'm currently shining up these programs and doing my best to ensure they're up and running, and then I'll transfer them back to the unit control center when their manning increases in another couple weeks. I'm doing this to free up my shop from yet another additional duty, thus giving my personnel even more freedom to handle the workload they already have.
Monday, June 30, 2008
30 June - entry 1
Today was just an avalanche of work. It started the moment i walked in until the moment I left for class, and I was only able to poke my head out a little bit after I spent 2 hours following class in the office trying to sort through everything that came down. I was able to have the conversations with the SMSgt and A1C that i needed to have, but didn't get too much else actually done. I just can't be in 20 places at once and spend all the time I'd need on the issues at hand. Realistically you have 3-4 people doing that job's that I've gotten yoked with, and try as I might, I can't be an effective leader and an effective worker at the same time. So I spent the time after work, analysing what requirements/taskings came down, and I delegated out what i could delegate, and i still had a heaping load of work left over for me to tackle. I've prioritized given what I currently know of the urgency of all items, busted out some of the smaller, easy wins, and prepped myself to take on the larger ones later i the week.
All this is just basic time management though, and, more importantly, its all very reactionary. I'm not looking forward to see what's comming down the pipe, and I'm not trying to improve my processes. I'm just simply taking the situations as they come and reacting in the manner that will most easily solve the immediate problem. Now, lets make an exercise of trying to decide what i would be doing if i were approaching this from a more proactive stance.
Certification training for the A1C. Yes, the A1C went through her class, in fact she did fairly well, so what happens when she gets back to the workcenter? She works. She doesn't study because, low and behold, the study program does not exist as it was billed to have been availible. While I did give the A1C ample time to study on her own, thats not the real issue here. The real issue here is that the training program doesn't exist. I need to coordinate with the other shops NCOIC and get training times, places, and schedules set up.
While I don't have a lot of time to tackle this given what my workschedule looks like for tomorrow, i think that will be a good place to start with.
All this is just basic time management though, and, more importantly, its all very reactionary. I'm not looking forward to see what's comming down the pipe, and I'm not trying to improve my processes. I'm just simply taking the situations as they come and reacting in the manner that will most easily solve the immediate problem. Now, lets make an exercise of trying to decide what i would be doing if i were approaching this from a more proactive stance.
Certification training for the A1C. Yes, the A1C went through her class, in fact she did fairly well, so what happens when she gets back to the workcenter? She works. She doesn't study because, low and behold, the study program does not exist as it was billed to have been availible. While I did give the A1C ample time to study on her own, thats not the real issue here. The real issue here is that the training program doesn't exist. I need to coordinate with the other shops NCOIC and get training times, places, and schedules set up.
While I don't have a lot of time to tackle this given what my workschedule looks like for tomorrow, i think that will be a good place to start with.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)