Nary a blog post in February...an indicator of how work, home life and preparations for Roo #2 have all stepped up considerably.
Here we are in March, exactly two months from when my maternity leave begins. A co-worker sent me a fascinating article written by another librarian who was, shall we say, quite well-prepared for her own 12-week FMLA leave.
Though there's more than a whiff of OCD about this woman, she wrote a fantabulous manual of her job's duties, set up an FAQ to guide those who were assisting in her absence, and said in all seriousness that no work piled up in her absence.
I definitely plan to take snippets of her recommendations. The list of frequently asked co-worker questions seems valuable, as does a full list of database passwords, clear access to previously performed secondary research results, and a basic how-to for much of what I do each day.
In other news, we have named Roo #2! Thanks to all those who offered suggestions. We feel really good about our choice and are now "settling in" with it to allow it to attach itself to our second little girl.
Showing posts with label Work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Work. Show all posts
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
In Which Owl Defends Unitasking
I've noticed lately that many bloggers are writing about the renewed respect that "unitasking" is receiving.
Multitasking is, and always has been, for the birds. Our minds are compartmentalized enough without externally forcing our synapses into multiple buckets. J always lurks in the back of my work-mind; when I read her Counting Penguins, am I mentally composing an email to the IT director? Yep.
So the last thing I need is to physically give myself permission to do multiple things at once. Yet this is what we are often called to do.
Some of this, especially in parenting mode, is absolutely necessary. Monitor your child's safety while shopping...part and parcel of the same activity. Cook dinner while catching up with your spouse's workday...just common consideration for your partner, and not mentally taxing.
But the demand that most workplaces place on employees with regard to physically completing multiple tasks at once means that we sacrifice depth for breadth, quality for completeness. Instead of delving into a project -- losing ourselves in it and coming out the other side a little breathless and inspired -- we skim over the top of it and move on, all the while juggling yet another need.
My favorite metaphor lately for the challenges I have at work is that of a waterbug, skimming the water but never breaking the surface. It's happened to me (correction: I've allowed it to happen) for so long that it's now a way of working. In a sense, I am fearful of the diving-in. I fret about what other projects will suffer if I put my attention to a single task. And so I continue to touch all the project threads, run them through my fingers, grasp them for a moment, toss an admiring glance their way, and move on, with the situation largely unchanged.
I manage in this way to frustrate myself and disappoint those around me. (Awesome!) If I would only grow a pair and insist for once that I be allowed to focus on the task at hand before moving on, I'd at least have some assignments that left the recipient and me both satisfied.
As parents, we spend hours and days struggling to live in the moment, to focus entirely on our children (as they do the opposite, straining toward the capacity to understand everything at once). When we do manage it, when we center our intention entirely on one thing, the moments slip away unnoticed and we sometimes look up to see that hours have passed as we played with our infant. It's magic.
Why should that be confined to the home? I didn't sign up for a non-magic job. The simple fact that worker bees everywhere are starting to notice that multitasking is BS means that I may not be the only one who sets up a take-a-number mechanism at her desk and calmly returns to linear thinking.
Multitasking is, and always has been, for the birds. Our minds are compartmentalized enough without externally forcing our synapses into multiple buckets. J always lurks in the back of my work-mind; when I read her Counting Penguins, am I mentally composing an email to the IT director? Yep.
So the last thing I need is to physically give myself permission to do multiple things at once. Yet this is what we are often called to do.
Some of this, especially in parenting mode, is absolutely necessary. Monitor your child's safety while shopping...part and parcel of the same activity. Cook dinner while catching up with your spouse's workday...just common consideration for your partner, and not mentally taxing.
But the demand that most workplaces place on employees with regard to physically completing multiple tasks at once means that we sacrifice depth for breadth, quality for completeness. Instead of delving into a project -- losing ourselves in it and coming out the other side a little breathless and inspired -- we skim over the top of it and move on, all the while juggling yet another need.
My favorite metaphor lately for the challenges I have at work is that of a waterbug, skimming the water but never breaking the surface. It's happened to me (correction: I've allowed it to happen) for so long that it's now a way of working. In a sense, I am fearful of the diving-in. I fret about what other projects will suffer if I put my attention to a single task. And so I continue to touch all the project threads, run them through my fingers, grasp them for a moment, toss an admiring glance their way, and move on, with the situation largely unchanged.
I manage in this way to frustrate myself and disappoint those around me. (Awesome!) If I would only grow a pair and insist for once that I be allowed to focus on the task at hand before moving on, I'd at least have some assignments that left the recipient and me both satisfied.
As parents, we spend hours and days struggling to live in the moment, to focus entirely on our children (as they do the opposite, straining toward the capacity to understand everything at once). When we do manage it, when we center our intention entirely on one thing, the moments slip away unnoticed and we sometimes look up to see that hours have passed as we played with our infant. It's magic.
Why should that be confined to the home? I didn't sign up for a non-magic job. The simple fact that worker bees everywhere are starting to notice that multitasking is BS means that I may not be the only one who sets up a take-a-number mechanism at her desk and calmly returns to linear thinking.
Friday, March 21, 2008
In Which Owl Finds Equilibrium
I have been back at work two months today. This was probably the first week where I felt "in balance" -- figuring out what work needed to be done, getting material out the door, sitting in on kickoffs for new projects, brainstorming with a colleague, even having lunch with a good friend who used to work here.
There have been days of desolation (few), days of joy (also few), but mostly days of logistical hamster-wheel-turning. I feel like the sensation of walking and talking through gauze during my work day, which I experienced for weeks, is gradually lifting, to be replaced with the more typical day-to-day challenges I faced before I left on maternity leave.
What will change this, and re-tip the balance? I imagine that J's first week at daycare will shoot everything to hell, at least temporarily. But after that, I cautiously look forward to the "controlled chaos" I knew before my husband and I created a little controlled chaos-causer ourselves.
There have been days of desolation (few), days of joy (also few), but mostly days of logistical hamster-wheel-turning. I feel like the sensation of walking and talking through gauze during my work day, which I experienced for weeks, is gradually lifting, to be replaced with the more typical day-to-day challenges I faced before I left on maternity leave.
What will change this, and re-tip the balance? I imagine that J's first week at daycare will shoot everything to hell, at least temporarily. But after that, I cautiously look forward to the "controlled chaos" I knew before my husband and I created a little controlled chaos-causer ourselves.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
In Which Owl Busts Out
At work, I am generally known for being friendly, accommodating and upbeat. This is at a company which I, overall, find to be friendly and upbeat anyway, so this is a good reputation to have.
Having J has shortened my fuse. I give her nearly all the love and attention I have (hopefully giving my husband his due as well), and sometimes there's just not as much L & A going around as there was pre-zygote.
As a result of a miscommunication Tuesday and as a further result of inadvertently being taken advantage of by a well-meaning colleague, I temporarily lost my squash, as we used to say in college. I would go so far as to say that for roughly half an hour (though my outburst lasted closer to fifteen seconds), I was utterly squash-free.
The results of this were actually pretty positive. Because of the aforementioned rep as a squash-ful person, the fact that I freaked out caused others to:
- sit up
- take notice
- deal with the issue immediately
I have to admit, it also released some building-up work tension. I've felt awfully productive since that morning.
I'm not an overly emotionally expressive person. I should clarify. I'm not overly expressive when it comes to negative arenas -- I am, I think, good at positive emotion, and much better since I became a mother.
I am working on expressing myself more emotionally when the topic is a tough one. I know it's a problem. The struggle for me is that I haven't seen it help me understand things much more, make me or anyone else feel better about a situation, or help me communicate. I've also found, through the years, that people who say they want you to express your feelings are usually deluding themselves about what they want.
Admittedly, the workplace is not the place to hone those skills. But I probably need to cut myself some slack and be OK with showing myself to be, from time to time, a little rough around the edges.
And it certainly felt good. You never saw those co-workers' heads swivel around and back so damn fast. It's like they'd all rubbed WD-40 on their necks in preparation.
Having J has shortened my fuse. I give her nearly all the love and attention I have (hopefully giving my husband his due as well), and sometimes there's just not as much L & A going around as there was pre-zygote.
As a result of a miscommunication Tuesday and as a further result of inadvertently being taken advantage of by a well-meaning colleague, I temporarily lost my squash, as we used to say in college. I would go so far as to say that for roughly half an hour (though my outburst lasted closer to fifteen seconds), I was utterly squash-free.
The results of this were actually pretty positive. Because of the aforementioned rep as a squash-ful person, the fact that I freaked out caused others to:
- sit up
- take notice
- deal with the issue immediately
I have to admit, it also released some building-up work tension. I've felt awfully productive since that morning.
I'm not an overly emotionally expressive person. I should clarify. I'm not overly expressive when it comes to negative arenas -- I am, I think, good at positive emotion, and much better since I became a mother.
I am working on expressing myself more emotionally when the topic is a tough one. I know it's a problem. The struggle for me is that I haven't seen it help me understand things much more, make me or anyone else feel better about a situation, or help me communicate. I've also found, through the years, that people who say they want you to express your feelings are usually deluding themselves about what they want.
Admittedly, the workplace is not the place to hone those skills. But I probably need to cut myself some slack and be OK with showing myself to be, from time to time, a little rough around the edges.
And it certainly felt good. You never saw those co-workers' heads swivel around and back so damn fast. It's like they'd all rubbed WD-40 on their necks in preparation.
Friday, February 22, 2008
In Which Owl and Kanga Are Both Thankful
After needing about 48 hours to process the work challenges I wrote about before, I set up a plan of action (with some great help from my husband and a few co-workers). Writing stuff down really does help codify it and, in a way, de-fang it.
I'm glad I was able to wait the usual two days it takes me to work through things, instead of flying off the handle at work. You'd think after over thirty years I'd remember that when things go awry, I just. need. some. time. Often my immediate, emotional response changes drastically once I've had time to sit with things.
I've spent the past two days pretty excited about the opportunities at work, and even ready to address the problems.
And so it also was with some issues on the home front; after two days of percolation (not stewing...ah! there's a difference!) I swam back into happiness.
All of which makes me darn glad.
I'm glad I was able to wait the usual two days it takes me to work through things, instead of flying off the handle at work. You'd think after over thirty years I'd remember that when things go awry, I just. need. some. time. Often my immediate, emotional response changes drastically once I've had time to sit with things.
I've spent the past two days pretty excited about the opportunities at work, and even ready to address the problems.
And so it also was with some issues on the home front; after two days of percolation (not stewing...ah! there's a difference!) I swam back into happiness.
All of which makes me darn glad.
Monday, February 18, 2008
In Which Owl Laments Snarky Attitudes
Though a long-standing holder of a snarky attitude myself, I have to say things are different when you're the one who has done the work and now proceed to receive uninformed sh*t from others.
Deep breath. Allow me to clarify. The development of our corporate intranet has been a long, drawn-out, unwieldy and painful process. I have attempted to help by setting up rudimentary IA, but the raw difficulty of working with this software package (that task does not fall to me), the siren song of billable work, and everyone's general malaise have combined to give us a semi-functional but completely annoying information "resource."
I curled my lip when I said "resource," by the way.
Those who do use it at the company spend most of their time joking about it with me, inexplicably thinking I'm going to have a sense of humor about it. Actually, folks, no I don't. Sorry...that new skin layer is still on back order, and I'm having the current dermis repaired.
The best thing to do may be to start from the beginning -- since the software suite cannot be changed, it may mean that scrubbing from the very first page makes the most sense. They're just links, right? How hard can it be?
Oh, and then there's that search function that...doesn't...
Gah. Glass-of-wine time.
Deep breath. Allow me to clarify. The development of our corporate intranet has been a long, drawn-out, unwieldy and painful process. I have attempted to help by setting up rudimentary IA, but the raw difficulty of working with this software package (that task does not fall to me), the siren song of billable work, and everyone's general malaise have combined to give us a semi-functional but completely annoying information "resource."
I curled my lip when I said "resource," by the way.
Those who do use it at the company spend most of their time joking about it with me, inexplicably thinking I'm going to have a sense of humor about it. Actually, folks, no I don't. Sorry...that new skin layer is still on back order, and I'm having the current dermis repaired.
The best thing to do may be to start from the beginning -- since the software suite cannot be changed, it may mean that scrubbing from the very first page makes the most sense. They're just links, right? How hard can it be?
Oh, and then there's that search function that...doesn't...
Gah. Glass-of-wine time.
Friday, February 15, 2008
In Which Owl Focuses on Training
I almost wrote "user training," which makes information users sound like seals balancing beach balls on their noses.
My colleague and I at work have seen a good deal of success with the following approach to information resource training: instead of (well, in addition to) offering training to groups that might use a resource and might be interested in the subject, we are heavily emphasizing one-on-one instruction after the user has been placed on a project that will be using that resource.
For example, people on projects that will be using either travel photo blogs or wikis to manage information are receiving individual instruction from us "in the moment," when the resource is most relevant and they are most motivated to learn and play in the environment.
We'll continue the group brown bags and pointer emails, of course. But approaching things this way is going to be the best way for our company, I think.
My colleague and I at work have seen a good deal of success with the following approach to information resource training: instead of (well, in addition to) offering training to groups that might use a resource and might be interested in the subject, we are heavily emphasizing one-on-one instruction after the user has been placed on a project that will be using that resource.
For example, people on projects that will be using either travel photo blogs or wikis to manage information are receiving individual instruction from us "in the moment," when the resource is most relevant and they are most motivated to learn and play in the environment.
We'll continue the group brown bags and pointer emails, of course. But approaching things this way is going to be the best way for our company, I think.
Friday, February 8, 2008
In Which Owl and Kanga Assess the Progress of Things
I've spent much of the last three weeks focused on finding a system that works. What I mean is...I love systems. I love discerning them, observing them, creating them and improving them. I would have been a good Operations person. Oh wait, I am an Operations person. Though not always a good one.
Anyway, I have been trying to find the System That Works for balancing actually achieving something at work with being home with J and my husband with respect to both quality and quantity.
As always, I should have just realized it wasn't possible. Thousands of women writing books, giving talks and posting on blogs about the challenges inherent to this should have clued me in that I was rather unlikely to find the silver bullet.
So now, it's about compromise, cutting corners and letting go what other people think. I am not great at any of these three things. I have gotten MUCH better at compromise since getting married, but skimping, letting things slide and not being highly successful at what I do...makes me feel ooky.
I do find that I'm more willing to let work slide -- in terms of initiatives I'm promoting -- than home. This, at least, is a good sign. There is no compromise when it comes to the time I spend with J at this early stage. I am so fortunate to share caregiving with my VERY dialed-in husband.
But boy, it's weird to feel the brakes get put on your career (for the moment) and realize that you're essentially the one doing it. And to also realize that you don't mind all that much.
When we decide to not have children, we women have to then decide to be OK with our decision. Similarly, when we do have children and decide to stay home - or to work - or to go part-time - we have to not only decide these things, but decide to be OK with the decision, and move forward.
And, since analysis paralysis and second-guessing are both my middle names, I can't seem to let this go. I keep turning it over in my mind. I keep understanding, bit by bit, what it's like to not be the focus of my own life.
Naturally, having decided not to hear the woes of the generations of women before me, I absorb the problem all on my own, as if it were the very first time it had happened to any woman.
But it seems fitting somehow, since in a very real way J feels to me like the first baby ever born into the world. And I know that other women feel that deeply with their own children.
Anyway, I have been trying to find the System That Works for balancing actually achieving something at work with being home with J and my husband with respect to both quality and quantity.
As always, I should have just realized it wasn't possible. Thousands of women writing books, giving talks and posting on blogs about the challenges inherent to this should have clued me in that I was rather unlikely to find the silver bullet.
So now, it's about compromise, cutting corners and letting go what other people think. I am not great at any of these three things. I have gotten MUCH better at compromise since getting married, but skimping, letting things slide and not being highly successful at what I do...makes me feel ooky.
I do find that I'm more willing to let work slide -- in terms of initiatives I'm promoting -- than home. This, at least, is a good sign. There is no compromise when it comes to the time I spend with J at this early stage. I am so fortunate to share caregiving with my VERY dialed-in husband.
But boy, it's weird to feel the brakes get put on your career (for the moment) and realize that you're essentially the one doing it. And to also realize that you don't mind all that much.
When we decide to not have children, we women have to then decide to be OK with our decision. Similarly, when we do have children and decide to stay home - or to work - or to go part-time - we have to not only decide these things, but decide to be OK with the decision, and move forward.
And, since analysis paralysis and second-guessing are both my middle names, I can't seem to let this go. I keep turning it over in my mind. I keep understanding, bit by bit, what it's like to not be the focus of my own life.
Naturally, having decided not to hear the woes of the generations of women before me, I absorb the problem all on my own, as if it were the very first time it had happened to any woman.
But it seems fitting somehow, since in a very real way J feels to me like the first baby ever born into the world. And I know that other women feel that deeply with their own children.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
In Which Owl Gets Intimate
I've gone back and forth with a co-worker about this, and it seems clear that our best bet for having employees understand what we offer, who we are, and how to work with us, is literally to sit with each employee separately and have an in-depth conversation one-on-one.
Though it seems tedious at the outset, it's the best way for us to introduce not only what we do, but who we are, our level of experience and the breadth of our services. I think that it also engenders a sense of personal responsibility in the employees who meet with us, rather than allowing them to zone out in a group meeting or presentation.
What about the information service groups that can't offer one-on-one time with users? It makes all the more clear the frustrations they face when limited to group orientations and bibliographic instruction sessions.
Though it seems tedious at the outset, it's the best way for us to introduce not only what we do, but who we are, our level of experience and the breadth of our services. I think that it also engenders a sense of personal responsibility in the employees who meet with us, rather than allowing them to zone out in a group meeting or presentation.
What about the information service groups that can't offer one-on-one time with users? It makes all the more clear the frustrations they face when limited to group orientations and bibliographic instruction sessions.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
In Which Owl Revisits Service Marketing
Our intrepid group of researchers has a huge internal marketing opportunity. While we focus on one-on-one training, group orientations, occasional "brown bag" lunches and daily mailings, we need to bust out in terms of both marketing format and frequency. With the turnover rate of employees in both Creative Services and Client Relations, there seems to be an amnesia pandemic when it comes to what our department offers.
The key is to market ourselves simply by showing how our efforts apply to the company's goals. It usually only takes one instance of working with Information Services for employees to say "I get it" and appreciate what we bring to the table.
But that offering is broader than people know, and often comes too late in the game, and that is OUR FAULT. Pushing harder for inclusion at the proposal stage, a willingness to promote our information management as well as information provision capabilities, and a willingness to explore the initial request deeply (the reference interview further dimensionalized) would all serve to narrow the gap between what we offer and the people to whom we offer it.
So many basic business operational issues come down to communication. It's easier to be lazy and assume that someone will figure it out. Tedious as it may seem for those around the table, the earlier the hard questions are asked, the better.
The key is to market ourselves simply by showing how our efforts apply to the company's goals. It usually only takes one instance of working with Information Services for employees to say "I get it" and appreciate what we bring to the table.
But that offering is broader than people know, and often comes too late in the game, and that is OUR FAULT. Pushing harder for inclusion at the proposal stage, a willingness to promote our information management as well as information provision capabilities, and a willingness to explore the initial request deeply (the reference interview further dimensionalized) would all serve to narrow the gap between what we offer and the people to whom we offer it.
So many basic business operational issues come down to communication. It's easier to be lazy and assume that someone will figure it out. Tedious as it may seem for those around the table, the earlier the hard questions are asked, the better.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
In Which Owl Once Again Ponders Service Integration
I had a good meeting today with my boss and an associate, regarding the best way that our group (I hesitate to elevate us to "department" level) can serve the primary research staff and the design teams in general.
It turns out I had misunderstood the thrust of our initial conversation. I now agree that -- for the moment -- it makes the most sense for primary and secondary research to partner closely at the company, in order to serve everyone better.
It has taken a few years, but the picture is now clear -- secondary research, desk research, library research, literature review, call it what you will -- is not only crucial to the beginning of a design project, but valuable throughout. It serves to keep fieldwork honest and contextualized. It offers a background for teams entering new market spaces. And it simply SAVES TIME AND MONEY, helping teams avoid fieldwork missteps and wheel-spinning, inspiring new design opportunities and codifying industry gaps for multiple audiences.
We have already sold ourselves internally. The next step is sexifying secondary research. First of all, we lose the term. It's inadvertently pejorative and meaningless outside the profession. So what does it become?
Information Services is a favorite of mine, coined by my work associate. It's simple. I don't know that we need to step beyond that. Certainly not sexy, to be sure. But a whole lot clearer than Secondary Research or Consumer Insights or what-have-you.
I feel extremely fortunate to repeatedly find myself in a work environment where evangelization of information science pays off in spades. It takes time, but we have an opportunity before us now to streamline the research process, productize what we offer and get paid for it.
Neat.
It turns out I had misunderstood the thrust of our initial conversation. I now agree that -- for the moment -- it makes the most sense for primary and secondary research to partner closely at the company, in order to serve everyone better.
It has taken a few years, but the picture is now clear -- secondary research, desk research, library research, literature review, call it what you will -- is not only crucial to the beginning of a design project, but valuable throughout. It serves to keep fieldwork honest and contextualized. It offers a background for teams entering new market spaces. And it simply SAVES TIME AND MONEY, helping teams avoid fieldwork missteps and wheel-spinning, inspiring new design opportunities and codifying industry gaps for multiple audiences.
We have already sold ourselves internally. The next step is sexifying secondary research. First of all, we lose the term. It's inadvertently pejorative and meaningless outside the profession. So what does it become?
Information Services is a favorite of mine, coined by my work associate. It's simple. I don't know that we need to step beyond that. Certainly not sexy, to be sure. But a whole lot clearer than Secondary Research or Consumer Insights or what-have-you.
I feel extremely fortunate to repeatedly find myself in a work environment where evangelization of information science pays off in spades. It takes time, but we have an opportunity before us now to streamline the research process, productize what we offer and get paid for it.
Neat.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
In Which Owl Assesses the Workplace
Yesterday was my first day back at work. To begin with, work itself...I noticed that things were simultaneously the same and quite different.
The sameness reflected itself mainly in the overall staff (fortunately, there's been fairly low turnover) and, frustratingly, the circuitous nature of the interactions employees have with our information services team. It's hard to build these bridges. Or they fall down a lot, or something.
The differences, however, were uniformly positive. People at work are getting more and more excited about ways to organize, save, manipulate and enhance the information they gather. Wikis and PowerPoints are connecting...discussions are happening on travel blogs while our designers are in the field...employees are responding well to our daily industry and design mailings.
I credit my two associates with much of this; they have the youth, energy and patience to evangelize these capabilities and rally behind them. (Is my jadedness showing?) Now to focus on insinuating ourselves at the early stages of projects, in order to ensure that we not only provide teams with information and inspiration, but that we help them make the best use of what they have already collected.
OK, now to the tough part. Driving to work s-u-c-k-e-d. I alternated crying jags with finding deep meaning in each Top 40 song being played on the radio.
Once at work, the distraction helped. A mysterious stranger (mom?) sent me flowers, with a card ostensibly from J. "Hey Mom -- have a good day. I love you. (J.)" That, combined with my husband's wacky BabyTrack updates on the computer, got the waterworks going again.
Long story short, I made it till 2:30 and then worked from home on my laptop. I'll stay a bit later each day this week (today I stayed till 3:30), and I imagine that I'll be "full on" next week.
The sameness reflected itself mainly in the overall staff (fortunately, there's been fairly low turnover) and, frustratingly, the circuitous nature of the interactions employees have with our information services team. It's hard to build these bridges. Or they fall down a lot, or something.
The differences, however, were uniformly positive. People at work are getting more and more excited about ways to organize, save, manipulate and enhance the information they gather. Wikis and PowerPoints are connecting...discussions are happening on travel blogs while our designers are in the field...employees are responding well to our daily industry and design mailings.
I credit my two associates with much of this; they have the youth, energy and patience to evangelize these capabilities and rally behind them. (Is my jadedness showing?) Now to focus on insinuating ourselves at the early stages of projects, in order to ensure that we not only provide teams with information and inspiration, but that we help them make the best use of what they have already collected.
OK, now to the tough part. Driving to work s-u-c-k-e-d. I alternated crying jags with finding deep meaning in each Top 40 song being played on the radio.
Once at work, the distraction helped. A mysterious stranger (mom?) sent me flowers, with a card ostensibly from J. "Hey Mom -- have a good day. I love you. (J.)" That, combined with my husband's wacky BabyTrack updates on the computer, got the waterworks going again.
Long story short, I made it till 2:30 and then worked from home on my laptop. I'll stay a bit later each day this week (today I stayed till 3:30), and I imagine that I'll be "full on" next week.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
In Which Kanga is Fretful
I return to work tomorrow. My husband will take care of J at home for the next three months or so. I have full confidence in the two of them as a superhero duo, of course, but am equally confident that my insides will twist around for a while as I adjust to this new situation.
The truest thing about parenthood is that all the cliches are right on the money, at least in my case. You love your child beyond all reason. You would die for them. You could, if called upon, kill to save them. You know that someday they will break your heart. And they are more interesting than anything else that could appear before your eyes.
The old cynic in me chafes at the admission that the sappy Hallmark cards have got it right. At the same time, this former cynic now joyfully waves the white flag of sappiness.
Tune in tomorrow for tales from work, in which I try to wrap my brain around issues of information retrieval, transmission and organization after 3 1/2 months away.
The truest thing about parenthood is that all the cliches are right on the money, at least in my case. You love your child beyond all reason. You would die for them. You could, if called upon, kill to save them. You know that someday they will break your heart. And they are more interesting than anything else that could appear before your eyes.
The old cynic in me chafes at the admission that the sappy Hallmark cards have got it right. At the same time, this former cynic now joyfully waves the white flag of sappiness.
Tune in tomorrow for tales from work, in which I try to wrap my brain around issues of information retrieval, transmission and organization after 3 1/2 months away.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
In Which Owl Considers the Role of Information Services
I had a meeting with my boss today to ramp up for next week's return to work. In it we debated the relative merits of separating out a corporation's "information services," vs. the integration of those services into the company's larger tasks and deliverables.
My knee-jerk reaction to this has always been integration-integration-integration. But now I'm not so sure. In a field that already lacks clarity to outsiders, do we feed the fire by embedding ourselves with the troops? By separating ourselves, do we force ourselves to create clearer definitions around our functions and deliverables?
A larger question remains regarding my leadership potential at this firm. I have some clear challenges ahead in establishing both the department sub-group and my own career path.
My knee-jerk reaction to this has always been integration-integration-integration. But now I'm not so sure. In a field that already lacks clarity to outsiders, do we feed the fire by embedding ourselves with the troops? By separating ourselves, do we force ourselves to create clearer definitions around our functions and deliverables?
A larger question remains regarding my leadership potential at this firm. I have some clear challenges ahead in establishing both the department sub-group and my own career path.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
In Which Pooh Has A Foot Rub
The two of us went to a foot spa today while a friend babysat The Small One. It was an utter pleasure. I found myself thinking about work during it (probably because my boss called my cell phone in the middle of the massage portion), but in a fun, non-threatening way.
I've heard other moms returning to work say that going to the office is like a respite for them after taking care of an infant. I do have to say that I feel more interested in my work, more creative and more ambitious than I have in years. The "break" must have done me good.
I've heard other moms returning to work say that going to the office is like a respite for them after taking care of an infant. I do have to say that I feel more interested in my work, more creative and more ambitious than I have in years. The "break" must have done me good.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
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