Firstly: I’m alive! And fine, and happy and stuff. (and the proud owner of a new red sofa! Yay!)
But, as I eluded to in this post, this is my most introspective time of the year, so I have many thoughts and ideas chasing around in my head, none of which are ready to be structured, which also means they’re not quite ready to be shared.
The effect is that I feel like I don’t have anything specific to say. Yet. Soon there will be a flood of ideas and thoughts and observations.
A lot of these thoughts have been around my experience of 2009, and hence what I’m heading into in 2010. What is apparent is that 2009 was about being tossed around on the waves in a boat with no paddle, seeing where the currents took me with the occasional large wave washing over the boat and causing chaos. I think 2010 is shaping up to be time when I get a paddle and start to steer the boat again.
I’ve been too passive (necessarily so, while dealing with so much change), but I’m feeling the desire to become more active again.
Hence I’m changing gears. Thinking about livelihood and social life and what I need to be happy HERE, rather than what made me happy in Sydney. I can learn from my past, but I can’t replicate it.
I’m also questioning my assumptions about how to earn money, thinking about what my skills are and what I enjoy doing, rather than what career I want. A subtle but important difference.
I hear you saying: “this is all well and good, but why can’t you keep us updated with what you’ve been doing?” Mostly, it all got a bit overwhelming. I wanted to upload the Christmas photos before I talked about Christmas, and that took more than a week, and then the overwhelm of writing about 2 weeks of life, and then the stress/frustration of going back to work, and then work has been (pleasantly) busy ever since. So, I promise to have some sort of “What I Did over Christmas and January” type post up by the end of the week.
In the meantime, a brainstorming request: Let’s pretend you had the funds and could hire me, on some sort of basis to do something for you, or make something for you, that you know I’d be good at, better than most other people you know. What would that be? (non-smutty answers only please). I’m trying to gauge what sort of things other people perceive that I am good at, as often we have blinkers on this aspect of ourselves.
Also, what sort of things would you seek my input on? Advice? Specialist information? e.g. I have a questions about X, I know I’ll ask Karinne!
I’m going to leave the first comment, as this is a P.S. rather than part of the main article, and I need somewhere to save it. Also, the serendipity was worth noting.
On my way back into the office from lunch I was stopped by a manager who said she’d “sung my praises” at a manager’s meeting, specifically because of an Action Plan template I’d developed for her and how useful it was. Then another manager told me that I’d been mentioned at the meeting and could she have a copy of the tool please as it sounded useful.
So that’s: tool development, creating a structure to support behaviour change, translating a management imperative into a tangible item.
Ooh, Action Plan template? Can I have a copy too?
I have set my mind to thinking about this. I’m sure I’ll be able to elaborate in a while, but for now, my very first thoughts are:
I would hire you if I had an intractable problem that needed someone to help me organise everything and approach it in a calm, reasoned manner, putting emotion to the side for the time being.
I’d also hire you as a strategist. Much more discreet and tactful than I! And you have a different perspective on things / people and their behaviour. I’m finding it hard to articulate it further as yet, though.
Thankyou, those are two very helpful ideas. The direction I was heading down myself, with more clarity and description (the bit I needed).
You were one of the primary people that question was aimed at, as I know you’d semi-jokingly offered to hire me if I’d needed emergency income while waiting for my visa to come through.
It’s an Action Plan template for managing ongoing sick leave for your staff, in a situation where attitude to sick leave are MUCH more punitive than we’re used to at USyd. Not sure you’d be interested in that?
Answering the phones, heh. You have a clear diction, are polite and sociable, and the like. I have a severe dislike of phones, Neil stutters, and David doesn’t know when to shut up – we need someone who can speak concisely and nicely!
Oddly I’m not too fond of phones either, although answering is fine. It’s calling people that I will procrastinate over.
Suggest you are like your father and need a challenge, he always worked best at those times, when fully extended. Unfortunately that is not a very specific response to a day to day job description.
On a separate issue glad to red sofa has turned up and you and Jed have a bit of comfort again
There’s truth in this, although I’m not that into a challenge for challenge’s sake.
While chatting with the lovely Decline recently I realised that what I adore is a challenge that allows me to champion something. Currently that is championing a team that has had a lot of structural change inflicted on it, and trying to reduce the stress there.
Previously it’s been a team at Sydney University that was in a highly political situation from an academic manager and making sure they didn’t realise it, and so could continue to do their vital work for the staff and students of the University.
Apparently I have a desire to serve in some capacity, but a rather specific one.
Good to see you posting again!
Thanks
I know that this is a little behind the times and all, buuut. I was reading ze post and immediately had this thought, and then looking at above comments was strongly confirmed.
I think that you would be excellent at framing a project and then implementing it. This is useful not only in many businesses, but all over the public service, not just in the areas you’ve worked in. Being given an idea, with parameters obviously, and then going away figuring out what needs to be done, and the best way to do it and then seeing it through to implementation. I reckon you’d really enjoy that.
But the theme of organisational skills seems to be dominant among the comments, in various guises. It’s an unfortunately rare skill to posses.
This made me giggle, as it’s EXACTLY what I am doing at the moment as a transition to a different field – not exclusively government.
I keep being personally thanked and commended for the work I am doing to bring structure and clarity to a project which has been complicated and stalling for over a year now. Which is a nice boost to my previously flailing ego.
Thanks for responding, I will likely use this to frame my next move, away from directly working in government.
I reckon you’d rock as a consultant. That way you would be able to do government, corporate and community work. Although I realise that this is a hard thing to do having not worked in the country much and therefore not having the requisite number of contacts etc… Listened to any of the music yet?
…not yet…
I’ve driven across the country though. Does that count?
Hell, why not! But I suppose it does depend upon how many people you cavorted with during said travel….
And another belated follow-up: yes, I would be interested in seeing the sick leave Action Plan. It would be informative to see how other places manage this sort of thing. Although the thing I _really_ need at the moment is some sort of Meeting Action Plan, to help get meetings that are more productive and participatory and less oppositional. Though probably that has more to do with good chairing. How can one address these things when one is not in charge? (Don’t answer that – it’s a big question, I know! Unless, of course, you’re interested in doing so. Perhaps a new post? Though I get the feeling your focus is less on things like meetings and more on your new direction. However, I can see emerging from the above that you have lots of great managerial skills. Maybe posts on how _you_ would manage a team could be good! I for one would be keen to read them and be in the conversation…
I’ll send it over.
Re: meetings, it’s a bit tough if you’re not the chair, or the person who is the focus of the meeting. Two thoughts, you can either set by example – which I think is difficult in your situation as this may have gone on too long. OR realise that this particular suite of meetings is not going to go the way you want it to, and start to convene your own task/project specific meetings.
I often send a message to all participants with what I specifically want to talk about, what will be of value to them and that we may not take the full time – so people get the idea that it’s a sharp focussed meeting to achieve something, rather than another sit in a room and waffle session.
I do have a couple of blog ideas brimming along, one of which will be launched once I’ve finished working on Jed’s site (the main reason I’ve been so quiet).
Oh, and I saw this the other day and thought of you. Mostly as you introduced me to the theory of the coloured hats. It’s a fantastic mindmap:
http://www.theabundantartist.com/what-i-learned-in-college-and-what-engineers-did-not/