#78 12/18/2013 Hump Day

Hump Day...
The term hump day seems to be popular with radio personalities.  That's the only place I ever heard that term.  I guess if you work from four or five AM for four hours you'd like your week to end and in the WED shift sixty percent of the days have started for the week.  It's been such a long, long time of seven day weeks I guess I'd prefer some reference to hump month or hump year, but what is the end point, the end game.  I hate the term hump day.

The Second Book...
"He/She is a great leader."

"There's a lot of leadership potential there."

"That would be a great person to send off to some leadership training."

Failures in leadership are pretty obvious and changes occur quickly.  Quarterbacks who cannot complete passes don't last.  CEOs who failed to provide strategy and bottom line performance are soon replaced.  Some of us get chances to be leaders and our accomplishments are very satisfying.

Most people do not really get the opportunity to be leaders, sometimes because of situations but perhaps more often because we lack the skills to be good leaders.  Where we fail most often is as followers.  There's nothing wrong about being in a support role.  Many years ago I had an acquaintance who had worked at a bank many years and was an assistant vice president.  I was much younger, inexperienced in business and a bit of a smart mouth.  During a conversation I asked about this status as an 'assistant' vice president and he looked back at me and responded that he did a very good job at what he did, was respected by peers with less and greater tenure and that not everyone was going to be the bank president.

I've thought of that conversation often.  Enhancing our skills, honing our communication, listening and working to make our own manager successful and respected and ensuring that our dialogue was fruitful, usually honest and strategic is key.  Leaders come and go far more often than followers.  Don't be a threat or a problem but a team player and hope that your manager was a good follower, too.

Distractions...
A few minutes ago I looked at the wall and saw several empty boxes wondering why they were there.  Seventy-eight days ago I brought home five computer paper boxes of items from my office.  A month ago I threw most of the contents away.  Some of the items that I kept in my desk at work are not in my desk at home.  My office was about eight by eight and my desk was standard sized.  My desk at home is smaller and my office is in another room that is a collection of decades of life. 

The Lufkin measure remains from my factory career as a set-up man at Universal Milking Machine where I spent five years keeping my digits out of the punch presses, power shears, turret lathes, etc.  I think the green highlighter is from my tenure as a Research Analyst at the State of MN which ended in 1981. 

The screwdriver under the scissors ended up here when my IT staff finally took my tools and my network admin rights away from me, reminding me that I was an executive.  The scissors is also from that gig.  I have no memory of ever using it and no idea of how it came to be here.  Perhaps it was in the desk when I bought it in 1983.

These things in my desk, with the exception of the nail clipper and flashlight are of much value.  Having the right tools and perspective for the next gig is important.