On Management

Many thanks to akienm for permission to link to his recent entry about managing people.

He brings up four things a good manager should do: connect, listen, respect, appreciate [his team members].

Reading that, I realize that my favoritest manager in my patchwork career is the guy who did three: Listen, Respect, and Appreciate. (Perhaps he's my favoritest simply because I have not yet worked for someone who has done all four.) If that man were not now deceased, I would go try to work for him again, no matter what the product or corporate atmosphere.

I wish My Division In The Company That Shall Not Be Named had kept... or had ever had, frankly... a handful of managers who did all of these. Rumor has it that it had, last week, one such. (I don't know for sure because I didn't work for this person.) Now it has zero.

Great weekend!

Rob and I went to Chicago last weekend. We got to stay with a friendly, intelligent, straightforward couple. I could really enjoy friendship with people such as these: not only do they not mince words, so I know where I stand, but their observations are worthwhile.

Saturday we danced C3B. Fun! During the breaks I got to play with two mostly-well-behaved little boys, ages fiveish and threeish. Well-behaved kids are such a joy.

Later I got to visit the house of a square dance caller I know. She has five cats. Rapture! Surrounded by felines! It was wonderful!

On Sunday we danced C4. I had been nervous about my first C4 dance with some of the skilled Chicago-area dancers. Fortunately, I did well, despite heavy abdominal pain. I even had a very good time once I had ten Aleve in my bloodstream. Several people said my dancing was coming along nicely. Yay!

It snowed Sunday afternoon. Beauty! Several of the visiting Californians ran outside squealing like little girls, trying to catch snowflakes on our tongues and other such silliness. I do so miss seasons.

I had the best cream-of-chicken-with-rice soup I've ever had at a place called "What's Cooking". I have no idea how to find that place again, and I may never see it again in this lifetime, but if by chance I do, I know I will order the chicken soup.

Arrived home quite late last night. My kitties were very happy to see me. :-)

Awww

I love love love my jackiecat!

(She's curled up in a chair nearby as I type this.)