I love it when meetings are cancelled. I just finished sending an update to my boss when I got a phone call sharing that my noon meeting is unnecessary, and since we have the small group meetings planned with the problem client, I won't need to go over there. It does suck to get all dressed up with no place to go though! I broke out the black business suit today. That's my law-laying suit... grim reaper style!
So, it looks like today that I will be taking off my Consultant hat, and putting my Programming hat back on. I get to code some html for our internal webpage this afternoon. I also get to put my Graphic Design hat on and create some icons to be used on the webpage too. That's right people, I'm multi talented! hehehe :)
I'm pre-bowling tonight after work, as I won't be in town next week for our league game. Hopefully the pressure will be off me, and I can actually come in with some high scores. Wish me luck!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
whirlwind of a week
I feel mentally drained this afternoon. Much like I'm in need of a nice long nap to restore my human powers... hehe!
I was out on Monday, and I don't know why it seems that one day is actually a week away. Yesterday we did 2 additional hours of cleaning up our shared drive (and 2 more today) - which entails looking in every folder to determine if we want to keep the files. I normally keep quite during these meetings, as I'm not the one with the problem with the shared drive.... but it will be much nicer once everything is finished.
I've also been trying to meet up with 3 clients about requests they have put in for our department. I finally met with two of them today, and have the other tomorrow. One is going to be very difficult, as it's springing from a racial compliance complaint from a former employee. Ironically they are linked in (at another office) with my current problem child client, so this is going to be fun (note the sarcasm). Luckily the new applicant starting next week has Diversity training experience, as none of us are currently versed in the breadth of the topic.
I got my registration information today from AU/NTL, so I'm ready for my first 2 classes. I should be getting a huge package in the mail shortly with my books. Luckily they are included in the pricing. I've been trying to figure out the financials for paying for this. I have accepted my financial aid loan offers, but my company also gives money on a calendar year basis for tuition assistance. But my company is non-profit, and not cool like other companies, so what they give annually barely covers the cost of one class. So, I have to give my company the bill, they cut a check for their share, and then I get a refund check back at the end of the year from AU for that part of my loans not used. Which will probably just be put right back into the school bill.
My advisor had also suggested paying some sort of insurance fee with the student affairs office, so my account is not frozen while waiting for financial aid to pay money. I spoke to the Student Accounts office about that and they had no idea about what I was talking. The woman had never heard of such a thing, and frankly neither have I, but I'll call my advisor back to verify that information.
Also, I am registered for a week long NTL class in Potomac, MD in October - which is part of my program, and my boss is paying for. The issue is that they had mis-typed the location, and this class is actually only being offered in San Jose. They have a replacement course with a different subject matter in the same location as Potomac, the same week. So I had to scramble to ensure my AU/NTL program would accept that substitution. Then when I was speaking with NTL to get registered for the replacement class, they mentioned that they have not received payment yet from my company. I had to call our AP department, who couldn't help me without knowing what the general ledger account number was on the request. I'm very diligent about keeping records, but we were in such a rush to get the request sent over by EOY that I didn't make a copy. I finally tracked down the possible ledgers, got mean looks from my boss because I didn't give a copy to the admin, but finally found it. Luckily the check was cut, NTL just hasn't received it yet. One more thing off my mind that I don't have to worry about.
Tomorrow I'm in a whole additional set of meetings - one with the MAs at my problem office. This is a follow-up to the first session where we lay out our plans, and pretty much the law. Then we start meeting with the various MA/Doc teams in August. Hopefully this will go well!
I really need my vacation... which is coming this Saturday. Thank God for small favors.
An additional small favor is that we bowled against the best team on our league last night and manged to hold our own. We had a 248 point handicap - yeah, they are that good. They literally beat us by 1 point in the first game, we took the 2nd game, and they beat us by about 20 points in the last. We decided that we weren't going to win to begin with, so we got some pitchers of beer, and just played like we were having fun. I think we played our best set ever. I actually bowled over 100 in all 3 games, and I had some coaching from a visitor of one of my teammates. We came out strong in the 3rd game, and after they lost to us in the 2nd, they looked really pissed. I'm proud of us!
I don't know if I'm going to go to the gym tonight or mow the lawn. But based on some of the buzz I'm hearing around me, it's storming outside... so I'm thinking I have a date with my ipod, a stationary bike, and 16 miles of long lonely road a head of me.
I was out on Monday, and I don't know why it seems that one day is actually a week away. Yesterday we did 2 additional hours of cleaning up our shared drive (and 2 more today) - which entails looking in every folder to determine if we want to keep the files. I normally keep quite during these meetings, as I'm not the one with the problem with the shared drive.... but it will be much nicer once everything is finished.
I've also been trying to meet up with 3 clients about requests they have put in for our department. I finally met with two of them today, and have the other tomorrow. One is going to be very difficult, as it's springing from a racial compliance complaint from a former employee. Ironically they are linked in (at another office) with my current problem child client, so this is going to be fun (note the sarcasm). Luckily the new applicant starting next week has Diversity training experience, as none of us are currently versed in the breadth of the topic.
I got my registration information today from AU/NTL, so I'm ready for my first 2 classes. I should be getting a huge package in the mail shortly with my books. Luckily they are included in the pricing. I've been trying to figure out the financials for paying for this. I have accepted my financial aid loan offers, but my company also gives money on a calendar year basis for tuition assistance. But my company is non-profit, and not cool like other companies, so what they give annually barely covers the cost of one class. So, I have to give my company the bill, they cut a check for their share, and then I get a refund check back at the end of the year from AU for that part of my loans not used. Which will probably just be put right back into the school bill.
My advisor had also suggested paying some sort of insurance fee with the student affairs office, so my account is not frozen while waiting for financial aid to pay money. I spoke to the Student Accounts office about that and they had no idea about what I was talking. The woman had never heard of such a thing, and frankly neither have I, but I'll call my advisor back to verify that information.
Also, I am registered for a week long NTL class in Potomac, MD in October - which is part of my program, and my boss is paying for. The issue is that they had mis-typed the location, and this class is actually only being offered in San Jose. They have a replacement course with a different subject matter in the same location as Potomac, the same week. So I had to scramble to ensure my AU/NTL program would accept that substitution. Then when I was speaking with NTL to get registered for the replacement class, they mentioned that they have not received payment yet from my company. I had to call our AP department, who couldn't help me without knowing what the general ledger account number was on the request. I'm very diligent about keeping records, but we were in such a rush to get the request sent over by EOY that I didn't make a copy. I finally tracked down the possible ledgers, got mean looks from my boss because I didn't give a copy to the admin, but finally found it. Luckily the check was cut, NTL just hasn't received it yet. One more thing off my mind that I don't have to worry about.
Tomorrow I'm in a whole additional set of meetings - one with the MAs at my problem office. This is a follow-up to the first session where we lay out our plans, and pretty much the law. Then we start meeting with the various MA/Doc teams in August. Hopefully this will go well!
I really need my vacation... which is coming this Saturday. Thank God for small favors.
An additional small favor is that we bowled against the best team on our league last night and manged to hold our own. We had a 248 point handicap - yeah, they are that good. They literally beat us by 1 point in the first game, we took the 2nd game, and they beat us by about 20 points in the last. We decided that we weren't going to win to begin with, so we got some pitchers of beer, and just played like we were having fun. I think we played our best set ever. I actually bowled over 100 in all 3 games, and I had some coaching from a visitor of one of my teammates. We came out strong in the 3rd game, and after they lost to us in the 2nd, they looked really pissed. I'm proud of us!
I don't know if I'm going to go to the gym tonight or mow the lawn. But based on some of the buzz I'm hearing around me, it's storming outside... so I'm thinking I have a date with my ipod, a stationary bike, and 16 miles of long lonely road a head of me.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
3 circles
I found this information when a candidate was applying for one of our open positions at the office, but I've yet to have a chance to use it with a team. I've been thinking about using it with my "problem-child" client, but their administration said that it was too "deep" for them to really get it. I'm going to keep it in my back pocket, because I think it would really help them understand the situation of why people act the way they do.
There was a book written, and I have the title on my desk back at the office which I will post later, in the late 1970s by a psychologist studying human nature. His conclusion was that in each of us there are 3 distinct personalities - the child, the parent, and the adult. Each one can influence our behavior in different ways, at different times, depending on the situation.
First the group lists the positive characteristics of children. Things like "fun-loving," "innocent," "open," "curious" all come up. Then the group lists the negative characteristics of children. This shows things like "passive aggressive," "bratty," "selfish," "temper-tantrums," etc.
The group then does the same exercise for the role of parent. On the positive side we have "unconditional love," "protective," "nurturing," etc. On the negative side there is "controlling," "dominate," "over-protective," "unbending," etc.
Then the group lists the characteristics of someone acting like an adult. Items for this list include: responsible, dependable, logical, reasonable, mature, ability to apologize, un-selfish, rational, ability to see both sides, etc.
What happens is that when humans are stressed (stress = our "needs" not being met) we "show-up" to a relationship or a situation with either negative characteristics of a parent or a child. Those are the behaviors that we default to in response to the stress, which clearly does not help to neutralize the situation and often escalates it.
The general idea is that we are the only ones responsible for our behaviors - no one else. So it's up to us to control our negative responses so that we are always acting as an adult should. Once a group is able to recognize what can be driving some of the negative behaviors that they are seeing, they can begin to notice the triggers and work through them.
The ultimate goal in life is total self-awareness. This is not the secret to life that I mentioned that I was playing with in my earlier blog, but it's part of it. I'm still working on that theory...
There was a book written, and I have the title on my desk back at the office which I will post later, in the late 1970s by a psychologist studying human nature. His conclusion was that in each of us there are 3 distinct personalities - the child, the parent, and the adult. Each one can influence our behavior in different ways, at different times, depending on the situation.
First the group lists the positive characteristics of children. Things like "fun-loving," "innocent," "open," "curious" all come up. Then the group lists the negative characteristics of children. This shows things like "passive aggressive," "bratty," "selfish," "temper-tantrums," etc.
The group then does the same exercise for the role of parent. On the positive side we have "unconditional love," "protective," "nurturing," etc. On the negative side there is "controlling," "dominate," "over-protective," "unbending," etc.
Then the group lists the characteristics of someone acting like an adult. Items for this list include: responsible, dependable, logical, reasonable, mature, ability to apologize, un-selfish, rational, ability to see both sides, etc.
What happens is that when humans are stressed (stress = our "needs" not being met) we "show-up" to a relationship or a situation with either negative characteristics of a parent or a child. Those are the behaviors that we default to in response to the stress, which clearly does not help to neutralize the situation and often escalates it.
The general idea is that we are the only ones responsible for our behaviors - no one else. So it's up to us to control our negative responses so that we are always acting as an adult should. Once a group is able to recognize what can be driving some of the negative behaviors that they are seeing, they can begin to notice the triggers and work through them.
The ultimate goal in life is total self-awareness. This is not the secret to life that I mentioned that I was playing with in my earlier blog, but it's part of it. I'm still working on that theory...
Lost another 3.5!!!
That makes it 16.75 lbs total!
(My male readers may want to close their eyes and skip down to the next paragraph!) It's always great to get weighed-in after having a monthly visitor, the weight drops considerably! :)
Today is my friend Michelle's birthday - big shout-outs to her! I'd sing, but my singing voice doesn't stream across the Internet very well... maybe when technology advances it would be better. hehee :)
Tonight we bowl the scary team. They are very good, being led by an amazing bowler who's a real big ass. He's incredibly aggressive and has a cocky attitude, but I'm not going to let that allow us to have a defeatism attitude. It's all about making the choice to choose our attitudes.
Actually, I was thinking about this on my drive to work this morning. I think I discovered the secret to life, I just need to use that to my marketing advantage and become a famous author and inspirational speaker. I've been trying to poke holes into my theory, but I haven't found one yet... I'll post more about it when I've been able to completely think it out. I may just be on to something :)
(My male readers may want to close their eyes and skip down to the next paragraph!) It's always great to get weighed-in after having a monthly visitor, the weight drops considerably! :)
Today is my friend Michelle's birthday - big shout-outs to her! I'd sing, but my singing voice doesn't stream across the Internet very well... maybe when technology advances it would be better. hehee :)
Tonight we bowl the scary team. They are very good, being led by an amazing bowler who's a real big ass. He's incredibly aggressive and has a cocky attitude, but I'm not going to let that allow us to have a defeatism attitude. It's all about making the choice to choose our attitudes.
Actually, I was thinking about this on my drive to work this morning. I think I discovered the secret to life, I just need to use that to my marketing advantage and become a famous author and inspirational speaker. I've been trying to poke holes into my theory, but I haven't found one yet... I'll post more about it when I've been able to completely think it out. I may just be on to something :)
Monday, July 28, 2008
Monday sick day...
I woke up in the middle of the night with an upset stomach... which didn't relieve itself by work time. I sent my boss and assistant in the office an email from my blackberry, and in bed I stayed. Its afternoon now, I just tried eating something, so let's see how this goes.
I'm trying to maintain my drama-free lifestyle, but last night it was really hard. I had posted a journal on okcupid last week to start up conversations with people. The journal just said that I was bored, so lets play the question game, and feel free to ask me anything. I got one or two responses, but nothing overly exciting.
Last night I was reading this guy's most recent journal post, which was pretty funny. It was talking about how people put so many requirements on their profile of what they are looking for, that they almost weed out everyone. He decided to make a list of all of his requirements, which really did weed out everyone. Because of his use of humor, I wanted to see what his other posts were like.
I came upon one written the same night that I posted my "question game" one, and he was actually picking on me in his journal entry! He didn't mention me by name, but his journal entry was about him wondering why people post journals like that (he quoted parts of it, enough for me to recognize it!), when he has no interest in asking questions to people that he doesn't care about, or has no interest in getting to know. Then he went on to say he was just as bad as I am, because he was posting a journal entry about other people's journal entries. How rude! There are a lot of knuckleheads in the world!
I didn't even bother responding, but it's people like him who ruin it for everyone else. The sad thing is that based on his writing style, he's pretty funny and interesting, so I know we would have had some good email correspondence going on - but apparently I'm not worth it. That just cracks me up! :)
I also asked for feedback in the forums on okcupid about my profile. I only got one response, which told me that it was very good and interesting, but I sound like I'm peppy and full of energy, which could turn low-energy people off. But then in the next sentence I was told that peppy and full of energy is okay, if I'm really like that in person. It just goes to show that personal opinion is so varied, and what one person likes, no one else may. I'm okay with that!
I'm trying to maintain my drama-free lifestyle, but last night it was really hard. I had posted a journal on okcupid last week to start up conversations with people. The journal just said that I was bored, so lets play the question game, and feel free to ask me anything. I got one or two responses, but nothing overly exciting.
Last night I was reading this guy's most recent journal post, which was pretty funny. It was talking about how people put so many requirements on their profile of what they are looking for, that they almost weed out everyone. He decided to make a list of all of his requirements, which really did weed out everyone. Because of his use of humor, I wanted to see what his other posts were like.
I came upon one written the same night that I posted my "question game" one, and he was actually picking on me in his journal entry! He didn't mention me by name, but his journal entry was about him wondering why people post journals like that (he quoted parts of it, enough for me to recognize it!), when he has no interest in asking questions to people that he doesn't care about, or has no interest in getting to know. Then he went on to say he was just as bad as I am, because he was posting a journal entry about other people's journal entries. How rude! There are a lot of knuckleheads in the world!
I didn't even bother responding, but it's people like him who ruin it for everyone else. The sad thing is that based on his writing style, he's pretty funny and interesting, so I know we would have had some good email correspondence going on - but apparently I'm not worth it. That just cracks me up! :)
I also asked for feedback in the forums on okcupid about my profile. I only got one response, which told me that it was very good and interesting, but I sound like I'm peppy and full of energy, which could turn low-energy people off. But then in the next sentence I was told that peppy and full of energy is okay, if I'm really like that in person. It just goes to show that personal opinion is so varied, and what one person likes, no one else may. I'm okay with that!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
last weekend in July '08
I had an awesome "summer in July" weekend. I met up with a new friend for a date on Friday, and we had yummy food and went to an O's game. Nothing says summer like a ballpark, which is always entertaining even if the team doesn't win. Mmmmmmm.. dippin' dots! But we shared a lot of laughs, and some awesome dance moves during the 7th inning stretch, so good times had by all!
On Saturday I went out on the boat with my friend Ryan and his crew, and my knees got burnt. Leave it to me to apply sunblock everywhere, but miss my knees. We had beautiful weather, lots of fun, and a good time had by all. I've actually included video on this picture taking adventure, and the insane giggling in the background is me. I do it so often I don't realize I'm even laughing 1/2 the time. :)
Today I went to a baby shower for my friend Tracy. I've been trying so hard not to blog about it, or mention the baby-bunny-blankie that I've been knitting - surprises should be surprises. But I told her about it today, since I was not able to get the bunny's head finished in time for the shower. Her husband's little sister was there, a little over 3 years old, and she really didn't get the concept of a baby shower. She wanted to know when it was time to put the baby in the shower for his bath. Too cute!
I also got my toes done today... I've been needing a pedicure for awhile, and today was the day that I finally got around to it. I always like the end result, but I hate the scrubbing part - I'm too ticklish for it and I normally won't sit still. There was lots of flinching and giggling to be had.. hehe :)
Anyway... here are the pics of the boating trip:
On Saturday I went out on the boat with my friend Ryan and his crew, and my knees got burnt. Leave it to me to apply sunblock everywhere, but miss my knees. We had beautiful weather, lots of fun, and a good time had by all. I've actually included video on this picture taking adventure, and the insane giggling in the background is me. I do it so often I don't realize I'm even laughing 1/2 the time. :)
Today I went to a baby shower for my friend Tracy. I've been trying so hard not to blog about it, or mention the baby-bunny-blankie that I've been knitting - surprises should be surprises. But I told her about it today, since I was not able to get the bunny's head finished in time for the shower. Her husband's little sister was there, a little over 3 years old, and she really didn't get the concept of a baby shower. She wanted to know when it was time to put the baby in the shower for his bath. Too cute!
I also got my toes done today... I've been needing a pedicure for awhile, and today was the day that I finally got around to it. I always like the end result, but I hate the scrubbing part - I'm too ticklish for it and I normally won't sit still. There was lots of flinching and giggling to be had.. hehe :)
Anyway... here are the pics of the boating trip:
 |
| Blue Pearl Tubin' |
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Robitussin doesn't treat warts
Courage.
It's a smallish word that combats a lot of fear. I talk about this a lot, and the more I talk about it, the more I see it. It's like when you are thinking about buying a new car, and the new car you want to buy is all you see on the road.
I can't tell my clients enough that unless the direct problem is fixed, the same result will keep happening. I went for an hour long session yesterday and ended up being there a little over 2 and 1/2 hours. It's one doctor causing the entire problem, as his attitude is harming the attitude of the MAs that work with him, which in turn is affecting the other MAs, and the other doctors. He's been there for 9 years, his patient satisfaction survey results are incredibly high, yet he's a big baby.
If the result they want is harmony and a healthy work environment, then they need to accept that they may lose him over it. And yes, it'll be a monetary loss to the company, but they've decided that they can't continue to "live" like they are living in that work environment - so they need to hold themselves accountable for it.
I finally got them to see that he needs professional coaching, and that is something that we've been doing at two of our other facilities for doctors who have their jobs on the line. I had some insight from my director talking to the overall medical director of the hospital system. Apparently in medical school they are only taught the philosophy of one-way communication. "You are the expert, you know what the patient needs, you know what is the best solution, therefore you need to do it, and say it." This forms a mentality that no one can be correct except for them, and any outbursts of uncontrollable behavior if they are not getting their needs met, are acceptable.
It came to a point that they had to tell the physicians, at this site, that they were not allowed to tell the MAs when they were "wrong", or if something wasn't right in the office, because they couldn't do it in a "human" way. They had to contact the MAs manager, and have them give the feedback.
We'll see how this starts to go when I facilitate the team discussions for each station, my fingers are crossed. But I am prepared to excuse the physicians out in the hallway if they get out of hand, and give them a dressing-down in private about their behavior. I've seen enough episodes of "The Nanny" to be able to give a timeout and tell them their behavior is unacceptable. But I'm proud at how far they've come, and they seem to be finally ready to bounce back - rock bottom has been hit.
It's a smallish word that combats a lot of fear. I talk about this a lot, and the more I talk about it, the more I see it. It's like when you are thinking about buying a new car, and the new car you want to buy is all you see on the road.
I can't tell my clients enough that unless the direct problem is fixed, the same result will keep happening. I went for an hour long session yesterday and ended up being there a little over 2 and 1/2 hours. It's one doctor causing the entire problem, as his attitude is harming the attitude of the MAs that work with him, which in turn is affecting the other MAs, and the other doctors. He's been there for 9 years, his patient satisfaction survey results are incredibly high, yet he's a big baby.
If the result they want is harmony and a healthy work environment, then they need to accept that they may lose him over it. And yes, it'll be a monetary loss to the company, but they've decided that they can't continue to "live" like they are living in that work environment - so they need to hold themselves accountable for it.
I finally got them to see that he needs professional coaching, and that is something that we've been doing at two of our other facilities for doctors who have their jobs on the line. I had some insight from my director talking to the overall medical director of the hospital system. Apparently in medical school they are only taught the philosophy of one-way communication. "You are the expert, you know what the patient needs, you know what is the best solution, therefore you need to do it, and say it." This forms a mentality that no one can be correct except for them, and any outbursts of uncontrollable behavior if they are not getting their needs met, are acceptable.
It came to a point that they had to tell the physicians, at this site, that they were not allowed to tell the MAs when they were "wrong", or if something wasn't right in the office, because they couldn't do it in a "human" way. They had to contact the MAs manager, and have them give the feedback.
We'll see how this starts to go when I facilitate the team discussions for each station, my fingers are crossed. But I am prepared to excuse the physicians out in the hallway if they get out of hand, and give them a dressing-down in private about their behavior. I've seen enough episodes of "The Nanny" to be able to give a timeout and tell them their behavior is unacceptable. But I'm proud at how far they've come, and they seem to be finally ready to bounce back - rock bottom has been hit.
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