Work Stuff
Well, with a manager who cares about things like training and interns, things are a little different now and then.
We've been struggling to find things for a summer intern to do the last week or so. They can't very well do "basic" things like new user setup without administrative access to the domain, and that's a bit much to trust someone with. They don't have the familiarity to resolve other "normal" problems through the office. They don't have the technical skill to tackle major issues. We've set him to doing something of an inventory, though the data he's collecting will have probably 90% overlap with a list I already put together/maintain. And that was just week one.
And... I've now attended a famous* Fred Pryor seminar. This one was on the "Fundamentals of Project Management." Ooo. Ahhh.
*Okay, I've no idea about fame or overall reputation, but I've seen their flyers for years.
Honestly, that may not have been the best starting subject for me for a few reasons. I don't generally manage projects, and really feel no draw to management in general. The pitched overall approach is, of course, a highly formal methodology that might help keep things more organized, but it would probably make any of our projects take two to three times as long. The same can be said of keeping a project log - useful in reference, but so much more time consuming. Still, maybe I absorbed something useful, and there were some little bits here and there that caught my eye for wider consideration.
There were only five attendees (including my cotech, a dentist, a manager at Osprey packs, and a woman working with a troubled-teens-spending-time-in-the-wilderness outfit), so we're talking a small seminar. We got our workgroup, did introductions, and the presenter went forth, adding to what was in the book, mentioning personal experiences, and asking questions (a lot of which went unanswered by us). It wasn't quite as purchase-oriented as I expected, but he did make a couple detours into the additional offered seminars and deals, and the benefits of some programs or books (that they happen to sell), usually right around time to take a break.
We had a few group activities, the big one being to "come up with a project plan" for a hypothetical scenario. In this case it was, "Mr. Homeowner asks your group to clean out a garage for an upcoming gathering, you have two weeks and $300." Then partway through the time, he added, "Mrs. Homeowner has decided the area has to be painted and drywalled, with these additional costs." The exercise felt a bit unfair because so much of it boils down to variables we didn't have or feedback we'd need from these hypothetical people who weren't there to talk to. In reality, we'd be able to come to some concensus, even if it's "we can't do this." But here, we were tasked with figuring out how to do something, then the goal was rendered impractical. I suppose the exercise was really more about working together and thinking it through, though. Our presenter even said a lot of groups usually come up with "Nope, can't do it" as a response, though that's not the only "answer."
There were some little sound bites and such that struck a chord with me here and there:
- "Communication is not what I say, but what you think I said." Very true.
- He cited a study that said about 7% of our communication is words (I believe it was 38% being tone/inflection and the remainder being body language). This resonates with me because it points out how truly limited we are in communicating online via text.
- A segment on different communication styles struck me as widely appropriate in live in general. Understanding how others around you communicate can be a huge benefit all around.
- There was some discussion of resolving conflict (generally better earlier than later) that's also a general truism. And how it can stem from differing styles or unmet expectations.
And toward the end there was a little discussion about motivating factors. We were asked to list five personal motivators behind getting up and going to work in the morning. Heh. That's a bitch for me, as goals and motivation are a major weakness in my life. I came up with all of two.
We've been struggling to find things for a summer intern to do the last week or so. They can't very well do "basic" things like new user setup without administrative access to the domain, and that's a bit much to trust someone with. They don't have the familiarity to resolve other "normal" problems through the office. They don't have the technical skill to tackle major issues. We've set him to doing something of an inventory, though the data he's collecting will have probably 90% overlap with a list I already put together/maintain. And that was just week one.
And... I've now attended a famous* Fred Pryor seminar. This one was on the "Fundamentals of Project Management." Ooo. Ahhh.
*Okay, I've no idea about fame or overall reputation, but I've seen their flyers for years.
Honestly, that may not have been the best starting subject for me for a few reasons. I don't generally manage projects, and really feel no draw to management in general. The pitched overall approach is, of course, a highly formal methodology that might help keep things more organized, but it would probably make any of our projects take two to three times as long. The same can be said of keeping a project log - useful in reference, but so much more time consuming. Still, maybe I absorbed something useful, and there were some little bits here and there that caught my eye for wider consideration.
There were only five attendees (including my cotech, a dentist, a manager at Osprey packs, and a woman working with a troubled-teens-spending-time-in-the-wilderness outfit), so we're talking a small seminar. We got our workgroup, did introductions, and the presenter went forth, adding to what was in the book, mentioning personal experiences, and asking questions (a lot of which went unanswered by us). It wasn't quite as purchase-oriented as I expected, but he did make a couple detours into the additional offered seminars and deals, and the benefits of some programs or books (that they happen to sell), usually right around time to take a break.
We had a few group activities, the big one being to "come up with a project plan" for a hypothetical scenario. In this case it was, "Mr. Homeowner asks your group to clean out a garage for an upcoming gathering, you have two weeks and $300." Then partway through the time, he added, "Mrs. Homeowner has decided the area has to be painted and drywalled, with these additional costs." The exercise felt a bit unfair because so much of it boils down to variables we didn't have or feedback we'd need from these hypothetical people who weren't there to talk to. In reality, we'd be able to come to some concensus, even if it's "we can't do this." But here, we were tasked with figuring out how to do something, then the goal was rendered impractical. I suppose the exercise was really more about working together and thinking it through, though. Our presenter even said a lot of groups usually come up with "Nope, can't do it" as a response, though that's not the only "answer."
There were some little sound bites and such that struck a chord with me here and there:
- "Communication is not what I say, but what you think I said." Very true.
- He cited a study that said about 7% of our communication is words (I believe it was 38% being tone/inflection and the remainder being body language). This resonates with me because it points out how truly limited we are in communicating online via text.
- A segment on different communication styles struck me as widely appropriate in live in general. Understanding how others around you communicate can be a huge benefit all around.
- There was some discussion of resolving conflict (generally better earlier than later) that's also a general truism. And how it can stem from differing styles or unmet expectations.
And toward the end there was a little discussion about motivating factors. We were asked to list five personal motivators behind getting up and going to work in the morning. Heh. That's a bitch for me, as goals and motivation are a major weakness in my life. I came up with all of two.
Sad as it is, two is still greater than zero?
ReplyDeleteTruuuuue. You, sir, are in greater need of some solid life goals to go after than I am.
ReplyDelete