Saturday, December 10, 2005
Cologne Anybody?
It’s funny because my boss is the epitome of work professional. He’s sharp, smart, to the point and arrogant. He’s sharp because he is fast. He’s a manager and just watch his ten-key skills…they are faster than most of the auditors. Smart…well everyone in our building seems to come to him to ask questions. See, this also ties into the arrogance and the to the point attribution. He knows how to professionally handle questions. He is self assured which is half the battle and he knows how or will go the source to find the answer for you. If he doesn’t know the answer he’ll logically try to solve it in his head…this works 99% of the time but there are times this is bad. My boss was responsible for a $2 million error that fortunately, as a company, we were able to correct and recoup…but part of the reason this error persisted for so long was because of his arrogance, because of his inability or weakness in questioning himself. He is unable look at something holistically as opposed to a piece of information to be proceeding and moved to the side. It was like in February or March of this year??? He brought me and some of the top employees of our department and he told us about the mistake then and he told us we were all responsible. Now, this doesn’t mean we got in trouble it meant that just because of our positions we are responsible when mistakes like this occur. My manager had a change from what we call in the office as a Panther personality to…well to a subdued Panther personality. (See in our office we seem to do this personality profile thing all the time. Panther’s are assertive, aggressive and strive on pressure. Owls are scientific orderly and logical. Peacocks like to show their feathers and be the center of attention. They are the social ones. Dolphins are the kind peaceful slow workers that want everyone to be happy. I used to be a dolphin then I took the test again and I was and owl…next time I plan on being a Panda Bear.) So I wouldn’t say my manger’s personality was different…it was weird it was like the Panther smell covered up with a gallon of cologne daily. I knew it was him but now he was acting courteous, making small talk and listening. He wasn’t teasing people over their intelligence daily. He wasn’t harping on people for their small mistakes like typos, grammar and clothe choice (…mistakes he makes no less. I just don’t think his brain is hardwired to see himself as an equal to the people he is around…it’s called arrogance. ) So, his personality changed and I felt like I could ask a questions (and god-forbid) be me a little more.
I’m not sure what major event transpired recently but the cologne is wearing off. He is going back to his old ways. See a guy in our department (who has now decided to work at home for us) went to HR and starting complaining about… well… our manager and about everyone basically. I was gone this day in September when co-workers in the department gave someone a birthday card. It was a gag card that said something like, “I got you a hot companion for your birthday.” Then when you opened the card it was a naked drawn picture of an old guy who was covered by the newspaper. It was a cartoon first of all and it showed nothing second of all. He complained and got our whole department and specifically our group in trouble. I found it funny how the picture of (let’s call him) Dick standing next to Bronco cheerleaders was down soon after he told on our group.
That forced our company to send us to teambuilding training. Unfortunately, my manager took away something from the training which completely different from what I took away. The managers had a different class more directed toward them. In a private discussion he told me a story in which I interpret that he saw the power of arrogance. I took away from mine the fact that for in order for a group to be successful as a team it has to have a variety of personalities and it has to value those personalities. In my private discussion with my manager his advice to me was to be more arrogant, abrupt and pushy. That’s advice at trying to make me someone who is actually more like him. But I appreciate the fact he tells me such things, I respect my manger, and genuinely am interested in his opinion. I look up to him…I think he is fucking cool. The genuine part is big, because I really don’t say these things because this is the company that pays me…But its there that lays my strength. It’s funny because someone made the comment yesterday that, “Nick is too nice.” My manager said, “We are working on that.” Don’t worry I may respect what they say but I’m not going to put cologne over my natural smell…I’ll still be a human working in an inhuman place.
It’s funny because my boss is the epitome of work professional. He’s sharp, smart, to the point and arrogant. He’s sharp because he is fast. He’s a manager and just watch his ten-key skills…they are faster than most of the auditors. Smart…well everyone in our building seems to come to him to ask questions. See, this also ties into the arrogance and the to the point attribution. He knows how to professionally handle questions. He is self assured which is half the battle and he knows how or will go the source to find the answer for you. If he doesn’t know the answer he’ll logically try to solve it in his head…this works 99% of the time but there are times this is bad. My boss was responsible for a $2 million error that fortunately, as a company, we were able to correct and recoup…but part of the reason this error persisted for so long was because of his arrogance, because of his inability or weakness in questioning himself. He is unable look at something holistically as opposed to a piece of information to be proceeding and moved to the side. It was like in February or March of this year??? He brought me and some of the top employees of our department and he told us about the mistake then and he told us we were all responsible. Now, this doesn’t mean we got in trouble it meant that just because of our positions we are responsible when mistakes like this occur. My manager had a change from what we call in the office as a Panther personality to…well to a subdued Panther personality. (See in our office we seem to do this personality profile thing all the time. Panther’s are assertive, aggressive and strive on pressure. Owls are scientific orderly and logical. Peacocks like to show their feathers and be the center of attention. They are the social ones. Dolphins are the kind peaceful slow workers that want everyone to be happy. I used to be a dolphin then I took the test again and I was and owl…next time I plan on being a Panda Bear.) So I wouldn’t say my manger’s personality was different…it was weird it was like the Panther smell covered up with a gallon of cologne daily. I knew it was him but now he was acting courteous, making small talk and listening. He wasn’t teasing people over their intelligence daily. He wasn’t harping on people for their small mistakes like typos, grammar and clothe choice (…mistakes he makes no less. I just don’t think his brain is hardwired to see himself as an equal to the people he is around…it’s called arrogance. ) So, his personality changed and I felt like I could ask a questions (and god-forbid) be me a little more.
I’m not sure what major event transpired recently but the cologne is wearing off. He is going back to his old ways. See a guy in our department (who has now decided to work at home for us) went to HR and starting complaining about… well… our manager and about everyone basically. I was gone this day in September when co-workers in the department gave someone a birthday card. It was a gag card that said something like, “I got you a hot companion for your birthday.” Then when you opened the card it was a naked drawn picture of an old guy who was covered by the newspaper. It was a cartoon first of all and it showed nothing second of all. He complained and got our whole department and specifically our group in trouble. I found it funny how the picture of (let’s call him) Dick standing next to Bronco cheerleaders was down soon after he told on our group.
That forced our company to send us to teambuilding training. Unfortunately, my manager took away something from the training which completely different from what I took away. The managers had a different class more directed toward them. In a private discussion he told me a story in which I interpret that he saw the power of arrogance. I took away from mine the fact that for in order for a group to be successful as a team it has to have a variety of personalities and it has to value those personalities. In my private discussion with my manager his advice to me was to be more arrogant, abrupt and pushy. That’s advice at trying to make me someone who is actually more like him. But I appreciate the fact he tells me such things, I respect my manger, and genuinely am interested in his opinion. I look up to him…I think he is fucking cool. The genuine part is big, because I really don’t say these things because this is the company that pays me…But its there that lays my strength. It’s funny because someone made the comment yesterday that, “Nick is too nice.” My manager said, “We are working on that.” Don’t worry I may respect what they say but I’m not going to put cologne over my natural smell…I’ll still be a human working in an inhuman place.
# posted by Nick D @ 10:18 AM 
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Stay gold, Ponyboy.
I can't help but to be genuine and true to myself in all interactions, although it took some time for me to get used to thought of posting my picture here and other personal details here. Whatever.
Despite this, I just learned a very painful lesson about trusting a manager. It's good to admire people, but ultimately the panopticon of the work life turns people against one another. Think about it, Nazi tactics worked so well because the fear instilled on the people was paralyzing. Someone was always there to step on someone else in order to better themselves. Of course, we also have many stories of great compassion and humanity. We cannot go on living false lives, smelling of cologne, and pretending that this will make ourselves more successful.
It's a bit of a paradox. To enact change from within, we must play a game where the rules are understood but written nowhere. Or must we? If we want to enact change we should call the game for what it is and toss it out.
Be yourself. Admire your manager. Stay true to your values. If you feel them squashing you in any way, polish up that resume and get out. Fast.
I can't help but to be genuine and true to myself in all interactions, although it took some time for me to get used to thought of posting my picture here and other personal details here. Whatever.
Despite this, I just learned a very painful lesson about trusting a manager. It's good to admire people, but ultimately the panopticon of the work life turns people against one another. Think about it, Nazi tactics worked so well because the fear instilled on the people was paralyzing. Someone was always there to step on someone else in order to better themselves. Of course, we also have many stories of great compassion and humanity. We cannot go on living false lives, smelling of cologne, and pretending that this will make ourselves more successful.
It's a bit of a paradox. To enact change from within, we must play a game where the rules are understood but written nowhere. Or must we? If we want to enact change we should call the game for what it is and toss it out.
Be yourself. Admire your manager. Stay true to your values. If you feel them squashing you in any way, polish up that resume and get out. Fast.
My apologies. It won't happen again...except this once.
It's a word you don't get to use too often. I got it from a legal article as part of a research project I was doing for my ethical and legal considerations in IT class:
The English philosopher Jeremy Bentham is credited for the idea of a Panopticon, which was a kind of prison constructed in such a way so that all the prisoners felt that they were being monitored at all times when in fact they were not. The idea was that "total" surveillance would eventually eliminate undesired behavior. While Bentham's idea was literal, it has since become a metaphor for any type of system in which surveillance can or is total.
That's from The Workplace Panopticon
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It's a word you don't get to use too often. I got it from a legal article as part of a research project I was doing for my ethical and legal considerations in IT class:
The English philosopher Jeremy Bentham is credited for the idea of a Panopticon, which was a kind of prison constructed in such a way so that all the prisoners felt that they were being monitored at all times when in fact they were not. The idea was that "total" surveillance would eventually eliminate undesired behavior. While Bentham's idea was literal, it has since become a metaphor for any type of system in which surveillance can or is total.
That's from The Workplace Panopticon
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