The Beginning of the Zombie Apocolypse

Okay, now what?

Dilbert by Scott Adams

Advanced Team Building

"Now, you have to trust your co-worker!"

Just a short bit here, mostly because I like the screen capture from The Crimson Ghost.

I’ve been involved in any number of team building activities and I’ve come to the conclusion that most of them are created out of desperation, usually from pretty far on high. The truly good ones sneak up on you. It isn’t until months later that you realize, “Oh! That was a neat exercise" while you are actually working with your coworkers. They're certainly not the ones that are going to make you say to yourself, let alone out loud, “I really feel the synergy, let’s group hug!”

The two worst team building exercises I've had the pleasure to be part of compete for my very own WTF award. First, the managers of a Big Box Computer Store being collectively written up for not selling enough service plans. Secondly, at another job, being guilted into eating together in the company cafeteria so that our department could have the appearance of having a “cool table.” No kidding, a “cool table.”

Sheesh!

The best team building I found was when you didn’t need any. The best staff I ever saw was for a company my dad worked and was ultimately the Executive VP for. They specialized in mining, refining and recycling materials no one else wanted to deal with and were quite successful at it. They were in several states and two other countries as well. Although I’m sure they happened, I don’t remember a labor dispute or similar issue in the time we were associated with the company. More time and energy was spent interacting with various federal and state agencies. The point here is that the company was managed well enough and the decision makers respected enough that there existed a level of trust that no team building exercise could replace.

Trust. Earned, not mandated.

A Universal Truth.

I can't stand it - this is about as close to a universal truth as I can think of.

Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis

I Wouldn't Have Thought . . .

Far be it for me to recommend a cash flow inducing revenue stream designed solely for the purpose of filling someone else’s pockets with money, but I have to say I really enjoyed this.

http://popcap.com/games/pvz/?icid=plantsvszombies_HP_DL_1_8_19_08_en

It’s a lot more fun than you would think.

Daniel's Believe It or Not!

True Story

Last day of the job I was "Performance Improved" out of.

This was a job where I had to stick around for a month and a half after I was asked to resign from a job I was theoretically not qualified to perform to train those coming in behind me because no one else had the competencies.

I'm literally on my way out the door when my former boss asks a co-worker, "Do you have his number, just in case?"

In case of what!? I decide not to be canned? The Magic Job Fairy comes out and decides I actually do know how to do my job? The Pope wants to canonize me?

Unbelievable.

White Zombie

This is the very first, and one of the best zombie films. An independent effort with the look of a studio film it still holds up remarkably well. None of this running around and nibbling on brains business.

White Zombie on Wikipedia.
White Zombie on IMDB.



The movie features Bela Lugosi. To quote IMDB: "Béla Lugosi in one of his top performances, in a unique and visually-striking makeup."



The movie is essentially a misguided love story where instead of getting the girl, the guy gets a zombie. Not quite what he asked for.

The Dense Effect

Sit down and relax. This may hurt a bit.

I’ve come to realize that not only is taking a hint an acquired skill, but it can sometimes take decades to develop, if ever.

Follow this:

1. My boss’s boss quits.
2. My boss quits.
3. My new boss, who also used to be under my boss’s boss, quits.
4. I’m out of bosses.


What would you do? Me, I stick around despite my only one-on-one with a supposed “report to", scheduled for an hour, lasting nearly two and consists of the induhvidual telling me what I was doing wrong and me politely explaining that, "no, this is what's gong on." And providing the reasons why.

It never occurred to me that actual communication was never the purpose of that meeting. This was to prove to be a pattern. The one-way exchange of words with long pauses of perceived silence that was actually filled with my input.

(I apologize. I cannot remember if I got a boss, or boss's boss first. Their depth of effectiveness overwhelms me.)

Ever have a conversation with your boss that starts off with, "It may not be fair but . . ."

Thus "The Dense Effect." This is a phenomenon where an individual believes that what they are told actually has some substance in reality, despite all evidence to the contrary. Further, that if that person acts upon this information, the outcome may actually resemble a valued contribution.