shishnit.org

While writing a paper on how to implement workforces from different countries into one cohesive company (ya know…DIVERSITY!!) I came across this cultural blunder and HAD to share.

“Locum is a Swedish company. As most companies do at Christmas they sent out Christmas cards to customers. In 1991 they decided to give their logo a little holiday spirit by replacing the “o” in Locum with a heart. You can see the result…..” 

via this link where you can go see more!!!

Aren’t you glad I’m a serious college student?

I’m sitting at the computer writing yet another paper.  Chloe is sitting a few feet away basking in the sunshine coming through the window.  Rick is watching a pre-game show on TV.  I have my Ipod headphones in, listening to Jeff Buckley sing ”Lilac wine is sweet and heady, wheres my love”.  Oh this would be a lovely afternoon if not for the impending “Gap Analysis”.

edited to update: Chloe is licking my ankles.

I’m in a project management course.  Most of my fellow classmates read the syllabus screwy and didn’t understand things.  I thought it was all no big deal and pointed it out several times.  I communicated with the teacher to hang in there, his syllabus was fine but the peeps in class were dramatic.  I wrote to him and told him he was a fantastic teacher and I was learning much from him and not to let this “tough crowd” make him feel as though he wrote a poor syllabus.   I told him I didn’t get shaken up about life’s small things and for some reason I went on a tyrade and told him that my mother kicked me out at age 19.  I have no earthly idea why I told him except that I was on a roll and it fit what I was saying.  And probably because this year marks 18 years since she did that and it’s been in the back of mind a lot. 

Upon sharing with him he wrote back:

“Thank you for your compliment and kind words, despite a bit of confusion here and there in the class.  Thanks for taking it in stride.

 That is a very tough thing to hear from a mother, especially as a late teen.  I am glad you have taken it with the correct perspective.  I have certainly been able to ’see’ and sense your tenacity.  But you temper it just right with tact, respect, and humor in your communication.  Thank you very much.  I wish more people/students had that knack for blend.

 
Thanks again and best wishes.

He said I had tenacity?  Now there’s a quality that I admire and recently saw in someone else.  Me tenacious?  Wow…maybe so…

I spent 6 hours working on a paper last night until the wee hours. I’ve just spent another 3 hours.  I still have 3 more sections of this paper to write.

I’m not really having fun with school anymore.  It used to be fun.  Now…now it’s just more work.

My back hurts….from sitting at the desk chair for so many hours.  I’m pretty tired….weery…bleary……blah.

And to make matters worse…I’ve been off since last Wednesday.  So much time off…and I feel like crap.

Earlier tonight…Doug and his gf came to visit from Daytona.  Her ex-husband (what?  doesn’t everyone have one of those?) lives in St Pete and she is sharing custody.  I can relate.  So they came to pick up kids and stopped to visit san’s the kids.  She has 3, all under the age of 13.

Somewhere during the conversation on the back patio…Doug popped out with “You need to give Rick some kids!”

Hmm…and I thought that subject didn’t hurt anymore.

Me and my sore back are going to take our bleary tired eyes and typing fingers to bed.  Thank goodness for Tylenol PM.

I know about appreciative inquiry regarding change management. I can spout off different leadership styles faster than any actual leaders we have in charge, I can speak for probably 4 hours straight about diversity, ethics, organizational management, human motivation (extrinsic and intrinsic), ethics, communication (styles, issues, resolutions, strengths, weaknesses and on and on and on) teamwork, collaboration, conflict (why it is good, why it is bad, and all about collaboration and resolution of conflict). I know about critical thinking and man the information I could spout off about decision making, including problem solving, brainstorming (please note: 3 important things involved!!!), problem identification, decision making models (I know at least a dozen, the 9-step model being my personal favorite) I can mind map, benchmark, analyze and then I can do a cartwheel while designing a total rewards program to retain critical talent in the new millennium. I can tell you how to change employee behavior in changing workplaces, I can speak to emotional intelligence (don’t forget emotional quotient), social intelligence and ecological intelligence (aptly known to me as EI…SI…EI…..and EQ!) Something I say in my mind like Old McDonald had a farm EI SI …EQ and on his farm he had an Intelligence Quotient…EI SI EQ IQ you know!!!

I can speak about the big five personality factors, David Groves clean language methodology, personality traits, (lets have the nature vs. nurture argument the next time we all have a free 10 hours to blow…eh?), I have more theory’s and concepts about human behavior, human management and business resolution processes than an encyclopedia. I can do the work of change, I can give feedback, and I can be constructive and avoid the pitfalls of emotional breakdowns and strife in the land of emotional resilience. I can team build until the cows come home. I can speak about achievement motivation, corporative life cycle models, fallacies, techniques and strategies for anything business related whatsoever. I can delegate, develop a team, and design a management process too. I worship at the alter of Peter Drucker. I haven’t dated Eric Berne of Erik Erikson, but I know who the hell they both are. I can develop an ethics exercise and avoid the hellacious nature of offending someone in the process due to diversity protocol. I can make ethical decisions and I have a well known process for it. I know about life balance, life change, listening and how it’s more important than talking and I even know about ten thousand motivation theories and which ones seem feasible (coaching/mentoring) and which ones seem like Charlie Brown loser mentality theories. I think the Equity theory sucks. I know Howard Gardner’s seven multiple Intelligences and I have a freaky geek out love of them all. I know about 360 degree feedback, although I have yet to see it in play. I know what Six Sigma is but I probably will never do it. I even know all about 212 and why so many companies train their employees on such a silly concept. I have read about, written about and digested Maslow’s Hierarchy so many times it makes me want to puke when I even hear his name. I think the Kinsey test is bunk, however if I started my own company I would use it just to display my knowledge. I do believe in the Big Five personality dimensions and I concur the my knowledge of personality traits versus the goals of leaders and the traits they say they must have is essential to understanding what makes a man an ordinary stupid ass Donald and/or a Trump. I know what psychometrics is and I still don’t care. I know that if you have huge handwriting that’s supposed to mean that you are outgoing and an extrovert. (who cares?!) I know who Dale Carnegie e is, (again who the hell cares?)

I thrive on cause and effect and trying to backtrack through an otherwise forward moving concept. I rather have a crush on John Fisher’s model of personality change. I say the words “transformed organizational model” and my nether regions twitch with joy. I have a high level of cognition when it comes to charts, tables, organizational tools whereby you chart, path, mark out, analyze and generate new ideas and solutions and/or resolutions to conflict or issue. I enjoy realizing communication pathways to success, negotiating change and finding a supportive way to function within a team atmosphere. I know about SWOT analysis, BCG Matrix, Value Chains, 7-S Frameworking, the competitive advantage and the break-even analysis. I know the 14 principals of management. I’m aware of human capital development, affirmative action and cultural diversity (more diversity..amen!). But comprehensive staffing strategies are boring to me.

In other realms, I am fully freaking aware of the life cycle of a star, I know no less than 5 mythological god’s and their coordinating stories, most being Roman. (the ones I know that is…), I know that sound designers are necessary to making a good movie, I know more about Judaism than Catholicism and I was raised a Catholic, I know that Hindu’s believe in reincarnation and I know how lobbyists work (I might have been happier to not fully understand that one), I know about elitist theories and too much about wealth and power in America.

I know all of this……and yet I still can’t find a new job. Fuck you recession fuck you!

p.s. if you geek out about these management things…drop me an email so we can geek together. Thanks!