Finally some down time...
Sorry I keep missing you on skype these days, Ben. Most afternoons are
steeped in meetings. Thinking of you all though, all the time.
Kicking back with some Coldplay in seat 20D on flight 932, trying to
get my fingers to play nice on this ipod touch's little keyboard On
the first leg of a 3-leg flight to Helsinki. A couple of days to see
the sites of that northern city with my hosts, Jaakko and Maria, then
a classic train ride to St Petersburg for a week long conference. A
week in Switzerland with the girls after that.
Close to a year now in a 'senior' management position. It's a senior
position since there are only 5 of us that are running our show and
any one of us can be called in to be the acting director if needed.
We're a pretty flat organization so all 38 of us are pretty close.
I've had a banner 10 months of getting creative putting new processes
and tools in place. Funny how work can be fun yet so draining; at
times it's like a long hard bike ride that thoroghly sucks every ounce
of energy out of you when your pushing up the hills but then gives you
a rocking good time and a recovery on the other side. Putting together
new project management processes and tools to help us handle our ever
growing portfolio has been the fun cruise on the flats. Getting people
to adopt and make use of these tools, that's the hill. A grind and a
fight but in the end well worth the grunt to see how it pays off. And
it's been paying off nicely as we've been able focus more energy on
building more interactive and engaging learning material.
I've struggled at times to be tactful with my fellow managers. I kind
of hit them hard and fast when I came on board, rippinng into them
with critical views and many many suggestions for improving their
effectiveness while pushing my ideas into place. Luckily they're a
forgiving lot. I've tempered my tone - but I'm still a pushy son of a
gun when I see a need to get something done.
Supervising my production staff has been a fun part of this adventure.
They're mostly a really productive and smart bunch. But at times they
bring back memories of my days as a middle school teacher; even as
adults, deep down we're all just little kids in need of an occasional
soul venting rant and we all need a hug once in a while :-)
I hope you guys have a snowy winter coming on. Get those legs of yours
primed for the big slopes of the Alps later this year. If the early
season in France looks good, I'm reserving the right to make last
minute plans to hunt you down.
Blue skies at 37,000 ft,
Bruce
steeped in meetings. Thinking of you all though, all the time.
Kicking back with some Coldplay in seat 20D on flight 932, trying to
get my fingers to play nice on this ipod touch's little keyboard On
the first leg of a 3-leg flight to Helsinki. A couple of days to see
the sites of that northern city with my hosts, Jaakko and Maria, then
a classic train ride to St Petersburg for a week long conference. A
week in Switzerland with the girls after that.
Close to a year now in a 'senior' management position. It's a senior
position since there are only 5 of us that are running our show and
any one of us can be called in to be the acting director if needed.
We're a pretty flat organization so all 38 of us are pretty close.
I've had a banner 10 months of getting creative putting new processes
and tools in place. Funny how work can be fun yet so draining; at
times it's like a long hard bike ride that thoroghly sucks every ounce
of energy out of you when your pushing up the hills but then gives you
a rocking good time and a recovery on the other side. Putting together
new project management processes and tools to help us handle our ever
growing portfolio has been the fun cruise on the flats. Getting people
to adopt and make use of these tools, that's the hill. A grind and a
fight but in the end well worth the grunt to see how it pays off. And
it's been paying off nicely as we've been able focus more energy on
building more interactive and engaging learning material.
I've struggled at times to be tactful with my fellow managers. I kind
of hit them hard and fast when I came on board, rippinng into them
with critical views and many many suggestions for improving their
effectiveness while pushing my ideas into place. Luckily they're a
forgiving lot. I've tempered my tone - but I'm still a pushy son of a
gun when I see a need to get something done.
Supervising my production staff has been a fun part of this adventure.
They're mostly a really productive and smart bunch. But at times they
bring back memories of my days as a middle school teacher; even as
adults, deep down we're all just little kids in need of an occasional
soul venting rant and we all need a hug once in a while :-)
I hope you guys have a snowy winter coming on. Get those legs of yours
primed for the big slopes of the Alps later this year. If the early
season in France looks good, I'm reserving the right to make last
minute plans to hunt you down.
Blue skies at 37,000 ft,
Bruce
