Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Men don't read directions


If you ever drive your car you may want to skip this post. One of the wonderful benefits of my career and desire to be a big cheese leader has been a pretty nasty migraine head pain problem. I have always been able to manage it with only brief periods of incapacitation. My latest hot remedy is Imitrex this is nothing less than a miracle drug for me.

I decided to try the nasal spray version of this to see if it would work faster. So today I got my first batch of the new stuff. I never had a chance to read the directions other than the large print at the top of the patient information sheet. The ever present .... do not operate ....... until you know how this medication effects you. Yea, yea, yea. I was late for a meeting this morning and felt a headache coming on. Now with migraines you don't mess around with this. You treat it and you treat it now.

So while IN the car DRIVING to my meeting I take my first dose of the nasal Imitrex. Not to worry it was a non-event. No one was hurt and my car is still in excellent condition. Oops, now that I think of it, it was a rental car. Oh yes and the Imitrex worked really well. I have a new best friend.

I suspect there are a lot of people out there like me. So we all need to watch out and I need to do better in the future. Rental car or not.

Thanks for reading.

Friday, April 18, 2008

How do you like your new boss?


So Lester, my friend asks, how do you like your new boss? He's an ass hole. Wow, he says and asks how did you like your last boss? Asshole! And the one before? Asshole!!! And before? Assholes, Assholes, Assholes, Assholes ALL!!!!!! This could have gone on all day but we decided to stop this and start complaining about the weather.

This has gotten me to thinking. When it comes to supervisors I am either an asshole attractor or an asshole projector. What do you think I am? Yep it's pretty obvious if I can take just a step or two back. If I can just assume the role of observer rather than angry, worried, scared, pissed off, frustrated, victim. Shit.

This reminds me of a story I read somewhere. Too old to remember where I read it but young enough to remember most of the story with a reasonable level of accuracy. A man came to the gate of a village and asked the guard, "What kind of people live in this village?" The guard replied "what kind of people lived in the village you came from?" The man said "oh they were awful people, mean, selfish, impolite and nasty." The guard replied, "You will find the same kind of people here, you should move on to the next village." A second man came to the gate of the village later. He asked the guard, "what kind of people live in this village?" The guard asked, "what kind of people lived in the village you came from?" The man replied, "wonderful people, loving, kind and generous." The guard replied, "You will find the same people here please come in you will be very happy here."

The fact is none of these people were really assholes. My judgment certainly does not make them so. They were just like everybody else who is doing their very best with the tools and experience they have. My level of appreciation for their contribution has little to do with their talent or intent. There is no question I have left some people behind feeling the very same way about me. It is all in our perceptions and our willingness to be fully accountable for our choices and our outcomes. In the end we are the sum total of the choices we make.

Thanks for reading.