Not getting a lunch and getting home late does not sit well with me. Now I am too hungry to eat.

Not that that will stop me. ;)


No way will I allow this slight irritation damage my evening.

Not that I am ever *really* irritated.


News that is good, is that I am kicking ass at work,

News that isn't, is that it is kicking mine as well.


Nice, it will all turn out very well, it will !!! it will !!!

Nothing is impossible.. right?



Need a distraction and balance, indeed.

My typical morning routine involves rolling out of bed and into my car. I give myself just 10-15 minutes to get out of bed and off to work. Today I set the alarm a full hour earlier so I could prep myself for an early morning interview, which involves a panel of people asking very specific, scrutinizing questions.

Partially on curiosity, partially by peer influence, and mostly out of a need for a new challenge, I applied for an internal position. I did not prepare or even think about the interview. I went in and answered questions, encouraged discussion and candidly explained my professional game plan.

Really, who was interviewing who?

When asked why I want this position, I recall using an analogy. I compared the organization to a bus; a bus that is need of the right people in the right seats. I claimed that I am on the right bus, but not the right seat. Not only does a bus need to fill itself with the right people in the right seats, but to have those people stay on the bus no matter what direction it takes. Sometimes you get onboard based only on the destination. However, most destinations take many turns. This is where people are separated by the right people. I have been through a few twists and turns with this organization, I have seen it head in a different direction than I originally anticipated, and I have persevered.

I am tenacious.
I am driven.

My code of conduct is simple. It revolves around the desire to work hard, learn beyond the obvious, take action, think big, make changes, and most importantly: serve the clients to the highest capacity; to prepare each and every child with a developmental disability to lead a full and productive life. My value is compassion and respect towards others; animals, family, friends, consumers. That’s also quite a turn on, too.

I am impressed with and gravitate towards positive, compassionate people that make me think, make me laugh and make me want to know more. Again, pretty simple stuff. In the employment arena, I find myself not recognizing relationship boundaries. I enjoy a good rapport with my fellow coworkers and supervisors. There is no line as far as I am concerned. I tend to befriend those that I respect as workers, those that fit into the aforementioned criteria. This also holds true to my interactions with people outside of the workplace, both in who I gravitate towards and perceived boundaries. I like who I like.. it is often no more than that.. and then, sometimes it is...

Anyhow, the interview lasted about an hour. I sat at a large conference table with a bunch of others from various positions, who each asked me numerous questions. I was totally calm cool and confident. Nothing tripped me up, and although I could have elaborated on any one topic (and said so), I kept it to a minimum. However, there were areas that I elaborated on and even pulled the interviewers into a discussion. They know me, they know what I have done and what I can do.. and they know what I want.

Quantitative skills and job specifics can be taught and learned; not so much with attitude and other qualitative abilities. Organizations would do well to hire and promote based more on attitude than on specific skills. I have said all along that there are qualities and attributes an individual has that can not be formally learned.

I was asked where I saw myself in five years. I asked, “Well, what’s Steve (CEO) going to be up to?”

Nice.

This further prompted an interesting discussion on my career path, being a leader, being impressed with my abilities both in skill and attitude.. etc. One individual kept piping up with impressive comments. Never one to consciously need a pat on the back, it sure felt good for everyone to verbalize their opinions of me… seeing as they were good ;)

Now I wait.

in general or specific, what do you think of this.. a few brain cells please..


consider these quotes by Russell Ackoff:

"... improving the performance of the parts of a system taken separately will not necessarily improve the performance of the whole. "

"Systems thinking is holistic, it attempts to derive an understanding of the parts from the behavior and properties of wholes rather than derive the behavior and properties of wholes from those of their part."



I think so intensely about something, then I cannot get my thoughts into writing.

a quick primer: Systems thinking, focuses on how the thing being studied interacts with the other constituents of the system—a set of elements that interact to produce behavior—of which it is a part. This means that instead of isolating smaller and smaller parts of the system being studied, systems thinking works by expanding its view to take into account larger and larger numbers of interactions as an issue is being studied. It wounds wacked to write it like that, as it seems to go in a circle, but I love this stuff.

For example, when there is an issue, people tend to look at the immediate cause and effect relationship, where the reality is that it had a much longer time frame of reference that which was more likely the cause.

When you toss a frog into a boiling pot of water (I am NOT advocating this act, i am using a parable that demonstrates the idea), it will jump to get out. However, if you put a frog into a warm pot of water and gradually turn up the heat, the frog is not uncomfortable at all, and otherwise seems to enjoy it. It is not aware that it is in danger, until is is really too late. (gross, i know)
If you plug this into the foibles of many an organization-business-political-relationships, then it would show that we react to immediate and obvious needs and threats opposed to more subtle issues that are really part of the larger picture.

This is where a lot of blame comes in.. no one owns up to their ignorance and mistakes. People are corncerned with maintaining the status quo, being defensive and image conscious.


Make mistakes and learn from them. make some more.
Speak your mind, have a voice, but don't make it personal.
Challenge me. Challenge yourself.
Learn.
Unlearn.
Dont just do things right, doooo the right thing.
If it feels good, do it; but don't screw anyone over.


Then again, this might be just the hedonist talking in me.

thank you, I needed to mentally spew.

any thoughts?