Life is Certainly Funny
OK, so just when you think you have a slight bit of control on things, life throws you a curve and you realize that you don't have the first clue as to what's really happening.
So things are going pretty well these days... the running I'm doing at the incredibly early hour of 3:40 am is still working. With the TV I installed into a nice little built-in shelf unit right in front of the treadmill it promises to be a reasonably enjoyable winter as I run my 2+ miles each morning.
Liza and the kids are doing really well... the weather is typical Fall in Chicago - lots of cold, rainy weather, but soon enough it'll be cold and snowy.
Work is work, and that's where the curve comes from.
I'm not sure if this is intentional or accidental, but since the downturn in the economy - due in some part to the incredible losses these guys have posted, work has been an exercise in The Unknown that would rattle a Zen Master. I mean really. First things are going to be OK... then it looks like they aren't... then they are... then we're going to wait for a couple more months and then look at things... then we're going to do things right now... Needless to say, it's the management that's the big problem - and most of it is due to the lack of good management.
It's perfectly understandable to have the back-and-forth on the decision to continue with certain things. The financial markets are as down as they've been in a very long time. Things happen, and not all of them are good. But still... you'd think that managers would take a few pointers from military commanders that were considered successful even when they lost the battle. Communication is the key... you have to let people know what's expected of them, and what their role in the organization is. If they are front-line troops don't tell them they're on KP... they'll get their heads blown off - for no good reason. Tell them what to expect as best you understand the situation, and then give them a job to do and trust that their professionalism will keep them from running off the battlefield.
But if you're a commander (manager) that doesn't believe in giving out useful information you're going to end up with people under you not really all that sure that they should follow what you have to say. Certainly, not after they see a few people getting greased due to lack of information that was certainly known to the managers well in advance of the fight.
Respect. That's all it comes down to.
When you're in a job where you're not really respected it's a constant struggle to find a good sense of worth. It's tough when you hear the words "You're appreciated... You're respected..." and see actions that totally fly in the face of those statements. At first, you want to believe that there's a good reason that for this instance the words and actions didn't match up. But after it happens time and time again, you start to think that these managers may say they're on your side, but they really aren't. And then everything they do is brought under suspicion - even when they may honestly be looking out for your interests.
So I guess I'm at that last phase... thinking that I'm really working for some very bad men, and wondering if it's just a few bad data points, or if it's really bad men looking out for themselves and using and disposing of people as they feel needs to be done in order to protect themselves from harm.
And the big question to me is if I've gotten into this place where there are so many questions, what should be my stance? The job market is clearly hard, but it's not that hard. If I'm working for people that I don't trust, am I really doing a good job? Or have I taken that first step back and lost the commitment to the organization that's so very important when times are really tough.