I'm tired.
And it's not just the “get a good night's sleep, you'll feel better in the morning” kind of tired, either.
I'm dog tired.
Bone tired.
Dead tired.
I'm Beat. Knackered. Exhausted. Burned down. Burned out. Broke down. Fried.
I'm tired of life, tired of living and tired of lies,
I'm tired of caring, tired of not caring. I'm tired of winning. I'm tired of losing and I'm really, really tired of never knowing which is which.
I guess I'm just plain sick and tired.
But I'm here.
I'm still plugging away. Still trying. Still working. Still caring. Still crying. Still breathing.
I'm still alive, after all.
And until that changes, I suppose I'll just stay tired. As the saying goes “I'll sleep when I'm dead.”
So I'm hoping that that's the point of this life...keep working even when you're tired. “Push through the pain”, as they say.
Well, I've gotta get back to work here. I hope you have a great day...and keep on plugging!
________________________________
If you're exhausted, too, leave a comment here or e-mail me at: TomFawls@Council4SmallBiz.com.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Thursday, July 1, 2010
STUPID QUESTIONS 101: "How?"
Since starting my career as a project manager in the mid-1980's, I have led numerous engineering teams developing complex commercial and military systems and products. With degrees in Accounting and Systems Management, I'm usually the only non-engineer in the technical meetings and, understandably, the degreed engineers tend to assume I'm a bit of a technological idiot.
Knowing this, I have learned to use stupid questions to great effect...and “How?” is one of the most effective questions to use when working with professionals in technical fields. I've found that, for me, not having a technical degree actually helps in these situations. Rather than risk criticizing their work by pointing out the errors, I simply play dumb ask them to “explain how it works.”
A good example of this was on one very complex project I managed, the initial system design was missing a rather critical communication link between two major subsystems. After working on the design for almost 2 months, neither the design team nor the QA team had noticed the missing link.
Knowing that finding fault with the design would put my engineering team on the defensive, I played the know-nothing, non-technical manager. I told the Project Engineer I was having trouble understanding the data paths and asked him to explain them to me.
He brought the system diagrams into my office, cleared a space on my work table, unrolled the diagrams (13 or 14 sheets) and proceeded to trace data pathways through the system. Six times he traced them without noticing the “missing link” and six times I looked confused and said “I know you probably think I'm an idiot, but I just don't get it. Can you show me one more time how the data gets from Subsystem A to Subsystem B? Thanks for your patience.”
After the sixth time he was not only ready to kill me, but he definitely thought I was the dumbest Project Manager in the company. And yet, knowing this, I still asked the seventh time (who says “third time's the charm?!”). He was halfway through the seventh explanation when the light bulb went on. He stopped his explanation mid-sentence, rolled up the system diagram, and walked out of my office without saying another word.
Three days later, he walked back in the office, unrolled the (updated) system diagrams, stabbed his finger onto the new data pathway and started explaining the design as if three days had not gone by. When he was done, I apologized for my obtuseness, thanked him for the explanation, and signed the system approval sheets.
Nothing was ever said about it again, Neither and I nor my Project Engineer (PE) ever acknowledged the issue had even existed. But the error was corrected, my PE saved face and, most importantly, the customer got a solid, more robust system.
Persistent Stupid questioning saved the day.
So don't be afraid to ask the stupid question...or to sound stupid asking an embarrassing question. It is often the least best way to get the job done.
___________________________________________
If you need help asking stupid questions, contact an expert. Either leave a comment here or e-mail me at: TomFawls@Council4SmallBiz.com.
Knowing this, I have learned to use stupid questions to great effect...and “How?” is one of the most effective questions to use when working with professionals in technical fields. I've found that, for me, not having a technical degree actually helps in these situations. Rather than risk criticizing their work by pointing out the errors, I simply play dumb ask them to “explain how it works.”
A good example of this was on one very complex project I managed, the initial system design was missing a rather critical communication link between two major subsystems. After working on the design for almost 2 months, neither the design team nor the QA team had noticed the missing link.
Knowing that finding fault with the design would put my engineering team on the defensive, I played the know-nothing, non-technical manager. I told the Project Engineer I was having trouble understanding the data paths and asked him to explain them to me.
He brought the system diagrams into my office, cleared a space on my work table, unrolled the diagrams (13 or 14 sheets) and proceeded to trace data pathways through the system. Six times he traced them without noticing the “missing link” and six times I looked confused and said “I know you probably think I'm an idiot, but I just don't get it. Can you show me one more time how the data gets from Subsystem A to Subsystem B? Thanks for your patience.”
After the sixth time he was not only ready to kill me, but he definitely thought I was the dumbest Project Manager in the company. And yet, knowing this, I still asked the seventh time (who says “third time's the charm?!”). He was halfway through the seventh explanation when the light bulb went on. He stopped his explanation mid-sentence, rolled up the system diagram, and walked out of my office without saying another word.
Three days later, he walked back in the office, unrolled the (updated) system diagrams, stabbed his finger onto the new data pathway and started explaining the design as if three days had not gone by. When he was done, I apologized for my obtuseness, thanked him for the explanation, and signed the system approval sheets.
Nothing was ever said about it again, Neither and I nor my Project Engineer (PE) ever acknowledged the issue had even existed. But the error was corrected, my PE saved face and, most importantly, the customer got a solid, more robust system.
Persistent Stupid questioning saved the day.
So don't be afraid to ask the stupid question...or to sound stupid asking an embarrassing question. It is often the least best way to get the job done.
___________________________________________
If you need help asking stupid questions, contact an expert. Either leave a comment here or e-mail me at: TomFawls@Council4SmallBiz.com.
Monday, June 28, 2010
STUPID QUESTIONS 101: “Who?”
“Who are you?”
The Who liked this question so much, they used it as the title for a whole album back in 1978.
I find this is the essential starting point for starting any new venture. Whether it's commercial, charitable or purely personal, it is critical that you know who you are and who your organization is...or who you want it to be.
Of course there are two parts to this question. The first is “Who do I say that I am?”. The second is “Who do my actions say that I am?” It is critical that we ask and honestly answer both these questions. For too many of us, the answers will be on different ends of the spectrum...who we think we are (or wish or want to be) is nowhere near the reality of who our behavior say we are.
I was halfway around the world leading my first foreign sales effort the first time I faced a situation that offered me a clear choice between putting my morals aside and “going with the flow” or living up to the moral and ethical standards.
I won't give any specific details here, but I will say that (to my eternal shame) I didn't even realize I had made an unethical decision until I offered the same choice to a colleague who had accompanied me. As I was explaining the situation to him, a look of disgust crossed his face and before I could finish he said “What the hell is wrong with you? This company doesn't do that! That's not who we are!”
I can still see his face and still hear the shock in his voice, more than 20 years later. His statement has stuck with me ever since..and, thankfully, has kept me from making similar compromises on many, many occasions.
That one instance made it frighteningly clear to me just how important this question is to each and every one of us...and how easy it is to completely miss the implications of seemingly mundane decisions we face each and every day.
Know who you are....and live the life you profess. It makes the world a much simpler place.
__________________
If you need help figuring out who you are, Let me help. Leave a comment here or e-mail me at: TomFawls@Council4SmallBiz.com.
The Who liked this question so much, they used it as the title for a whole album back in 1978.
I find this is the essential starting point for starting any new venture. Whether it's commercial, charitable or purely personal, it is critical that you know who you are and who your organization is...or who you want it to be.
Of course there are two parts to this question. The first is “Who do I say that I am?”. The second is “Who do my actions say that I am?” It is critical that we ask and honestly answer both these questions. For too many of us, the answers will be on different ends of the spectrum...who we think we are (or wish or want to be) is nowhere near the reality of who our behavior say we are.
I was halfway around the world leading my first foreign sales effort the first time I faced a situation that offered me a clear choice between putting my morals aside and “going with the flow” or living up to the moral and ethical standards.
I won't give any specific details here, but I will say that (to my eternal shame) I didn't even realize I had made an unethical decision until I offered the same choice to a colleague who had accompanied me. As I was explaining the situation to him, a look of disgust crossed his face and before I could finish he said “What the hell is wrong with you? This company doesn't do that! That's not who we are!”
I can still see his face and still hear the shock in his voice, more than 20 years later. His statement has stuck with me ever since..and, thankfully, has kept me from making similar compromises on many, many occasions.
That one instance made it frighteningly clear to me just how important this question is to each and every one of us...and how easy it is to completely miss the implications of seemingly mundane decisions we face each and every day.
Know who you are....and live the life you profess. It makes the world a much simpler place.
__________________
If you need help figuring out who you are, Let me help. Leave a comment here or e-mail me at: TomFawls@Council4SmallBiz.com.
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