High/Low Week 15 2010

On Friday I learned that I'd miscommunicated something to a co-worker in a way that was frustrating to her. Never a good feeling to see someone visibly confused and upset. What next? Apology, for starters... my job as a leader is to be clear about our vision. In that action, there's a balance between "enough" and "too much." I apologized three times, first in the presence of another co-worker when the issue first came to light, again after we were alone, and a third time in an e-mail to other members of the team who were impacted. That e-mail also explained the reasoning and the reality of my thoughts on the issue. I think that was "enough"... important to leave no stone unturned in these matters. To be reserved in communications like this is to sow the seeds of a deceiver, which is the downfall of trust. I also set out a plan for us to discuss the matter in a quick small meeting down the road. In my experience there are few worse actions in relationships than to choose a direction without sufficient explanation and discussion. Then we'll move singularly forward - no wasting time or their confidence in beating myself up in front of them.

Friday was an exhilarating day at the office. Tyson impressed Life Tax well enough to hire him into a leadership position. Such moves always involve some pain - in this case friends of mine were disappointed candidates for the job, and my own workload will trend upward in his absence for at least a few months. But if I've been able to influence Tyson as an employee to any positive degree that my old Life Tax boss Rusty Schopp did for me, then this result feels like repaying the place that still feels like my professional home.

Also, we hired a new programmer employee... the culmination of a year-long odyssey to sell the need for the position, patiently wait for divine intervention to deliver the right person and our good sense to make the selection.

Finally, some supervision duties were rotated in order to groom the future leadership of the department for what would otherwise be a more volatile change.

Thus succession planning rolls on for two key employees with retirement on the not-too-distant horizon, and I do consider it a blessing to have been brought to this department at this time for the match of my skills and experience to suit these needs.

Another long journey was victorious when I received a notice from the Secretary of State's office renewing our condo association's status as a non-profit. Since this involved completing over ten years of unfiled reports caused by the unwitting lapse of our status years ago, and an April 30 deadline looms to use this status to avoid a $50 charge for renewing our pool license, it was a blissful near-miraculous gift that the bureaucracy was so perfectly overcome.

Lastly, today was the reunion of the 30th anniversary of ISU's Student Alumni Council. More to come on that later, but you all know the emotional high of seeing old friends - one of the great fuels of many faiths.