Your Careful Example

I was over at Non-Working Monkey's blog (see blogroll on right) reading the archives and was reminded of this story. I can only be non-working in a spiritual sense. But, oh, how I long to be literally non-working.

Years ago, at another company of course, I was being groomed to be a Manager. As such, I was requested (read required) to attend the annual strategic planning session for my company. A number of other up-and-coming types had also been summoned as we would also have training on how to go about strategic planning. One of the exercises was to put in chronological order a list of twenty project management steps. These were basic steps required to see any project to a successful completion. First, each person filled in the paper and turned it in for analysis. Next, teams were assembled and the paper filled out by teams. These papers were then turned in for analysis. In the analysis, we found that all of the teams (except one) out-performed the average of all the individuals by a wide margin. A number of people also learned the twenty basic steps for project management.

The moral of the story: When we work together as a team, we will usually do far better than working individually. I was one of three people in the company that completed the list perfectly and thus out-performed all of the teams. I think I learned a different lesson than what they were trying to teach.

There is no "I" in Team. But there is most certainly a "ME".

My Spare Time

Sorry for the hiatus (that's posh-speak for taking a vacation from your vacation). I had to return to work and that has taken up a significant amount of the time previously spent fucking off. I had the final visit with my primary physician on the 8th. The bloodwork (iron study) is back and my hemocrit levels are back in the normal range. My hemoglobin is still just below normal but is higher than the last reading. I haven't smoked since September 2nd. Combined with the increased iron levels I am finding that I can walk up 6 flights of stairs without getting winded. I worked 4 days last week and I'm back full time this week. I'm still on restrictions and I'm not supposed to engage in vigorous activities or lift more than a gallon of milk in each hand until my next visit to the surgeon at the end of December.

My oldest son, Hilltopper, acquired his driver's license on October 4th. He also acquired a cell phone on October 6th so his mother can keep track of him. I have lost a son but gained a gopher. He can go for milk. He can go for Chinese food. He can go for an oil change. We no longer have to drive him to church 2 times a week.

The rest of my spare time is being usurped by studying for a comprehensive exam in a Christian Growth and Christian Ministry class at my church. I went to a 3 hour class every week for the past year and I now have about 50 pages of material and over 80 bible verses that I need to know backwards and forwards. This is not leaving much room in my overtaxed brain for much of anything else!