Gosh, Caveat Emptor wrote about shame today in a way that only a former fundie can. He has a way with words, that guy.
When I got out of work today it was 82*. By the time I got home it was about 95* in my upstairs. But my slumlords were good enough to come into my house without notice today and put an a/c unit in my bedroom window, so it's roughly thirty below in there right now, and about 90* in the rest of the house.
I feel like I should do something fun for the three-day weekend, but I don't know if I'm up for it. Maybe just a quick, semi-local road trip.
I'm getting there at work. I'm starting a leadership meeting next week that I'm nervous about. I've done this for the past eight or nine years and it's been great, but I just don't have the feeling it's going to fly at my new place. It's just me facilitating a discussion with my top associates about leadership and development, each week with a different theme. This started years ago as I was climbing the (bottom of the) ladder and noticing that there was a hell of a lot of stuff that no one taught me. I decided that when I got to a place where I had the opportunity, I'd teach others the stuff I wish I'd known. So we talk about all kinds of things, and it's been a very rich experience in the past. This week during a meeting I was explaining it to my people and letting them know that I'm going to start up a group here and that I'm looking for volunteers, and they were all looking at me with a specific look - it was something like they were making very detailed grocery lists in their minds. Poop. What if no one shows up? What if I can't come up with the goods next week for our first discussion? It's been the best part of managing people for me for the past many years. I hope it flies here. I know, why don't you leave me your suggestions in the comments? What's something in business or in life that you wish you'd learned a long time ago?
In other news, I had a dream that it was Christmas and I spent the holidays with Amy Grant. It was a terrible dream. The whole thing was very manic.
Amy Grant? That is funny! She seems so calming though... ;)
ReplyDeletei think your leadership meeting idea is great! i hope people participate.
the one thing i wish i had learned long ago (and am still trying to practice) is to not take things personally. 95% of the time they have absolutely nothing to do with ME.
and here i thought the universe revolved around me!? ;)
Hey! It's always fun to see that people are watching. I think Amy Grant has a great voice, and I used to be a big Michael W. Smith fan, but I can't listen to them these days.
ReplyDeleteHello, LSL.
I think your Amy Grant dream was a Target commercial a few years ago. Maybe you need to pick something up at Target? Coulda been a reminder.
ReplyDeleteTake a queue from one of my favorite South Park episodes (because the corporate world isn't so different than 4th grade) and advertise "punch and pie" at your leadership meeting. Or cookies. Anyway, people like free food.
Wishing you a weekend of good R&R. As for Amy Grant, I remember seeing her when she was barely 18....back before she cutover to the dark side.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the leadership meeting is a good idea. I did small group ministry for a few years and I stressed over it, but it always went well. Just model the behaviors, you know? Be a strong leader. Have an agenda, share it with them, state your expectations, and do it. People like to KNOW what they are getting in to AHEAD of time, I think. So tell them, before the first meeting, what the agenda is.
ReplyDeleteAnd start out with a topic that's fairly non-threatening. I always used to use this one...
"Tell us something about yourself that we might not normally learn in the course of an average day..."
It's kind of an ice breaker, gives people an opportunity to talk about themselves but within a narrow defined way, yeah...
Off topic ... but you, my dear, have been tagged. Do play along ...
ReplyDeletehttp://matterdays.blogspot.com/2007/05/tagged.html
:)
oh good lord, I'm doing back-up reading here, and your Amy Grant dream got me UN-GLUED - I'm in STITCHES!!
ReplyDeleteNow, I LIKE Amy Grant - she's not someone I currently listen to, but she and I walked the spiritual formation road pretty much hand-in-hand. But still, your post about it had me in stitches. Thanks :)