From a blog posting on 11/23/09:
"I got the big gig: I'll be headed to Cleveland to help plan out a 5 year, $100m project, and if they like what we bring to the planning, we're in for the doing. The work is very strategic and high profile, and they're not expecting to see much of me - I'm budgeted for 5 visits from now through February... I have a coworker who will be my eyes and ears on the ground. And that means I'll be around a fair amount more in the next few months...."
Interesting how that turned out, eh?
Thursday, November 25, 2010
A Happy Birthday
Monday was my birthday - turned 43, and where does the time go? I feel like 42 was sucked out of me and left on the shores on Lake Erie... but there were good things in the year. It'll just take me a little time to think of them.
So how did I celebrate my birthday?
I got up early, had some peanut butter toast and 3 shots of expresso... hit the road and pulled up to the new client. I worked a full day, had a lot of meetings, got connected to my new teams... Had a quick lunch at Uncle Franky's northeast burger and dog shop. I was out the door at 5:30, and stopped on the way home at the King and I thai restaurant.
The family was waiting, and we all enjoyed some Pad Thai, Cream Cheese rolls, Mock Duck eggrolls, and whatever #34 is (chicken in spicy roasted pepper and cashew sauce). It was great. I read the kids stories lay with them to get to sleep, and turned in early.
It was a perfect day for me. I was in town, I had family time, I was with the new client... I know there's a TON of work needed for this project, but it't not impossible, and just being here was great.
Here's looking for a fun 43!
So how did I celebrate my birthday?
I got up early, had some peanut butter toast and 3 shots of expresso... hit the road and pulled up to the new client. I worked a full day, had a lot of meetings, got connected to my new teams... Had a quick lunch at Uncle Franky's northeast burger and dog shop. I was out the door at 5:30, and stopped on the way home at the King and I thai restaurant.
The family was waiting, and we all enjoyed some Pad Thai, Cream Cheese rolls, Mock Duck eggrolls, and whatever #34 is (chicken in spicy roasted pepper and cashew sauce). It was great. I read the kids stories lay with them to get to sleep, and turned in early.
It was a perfect day for me. I was in town, I had family time, I was with the new client... I know there's a TON of work needed for this project, but it't not impossible, and just being here was great.
Here's looking for a fun 43!
Friday, November 19, 2010
And the NEW.
While I have spent a couple of days at the new client, today was really my "landing day" - I'll be fully committed to them from here on out. And it was a GOOD day - I achieved everything I set out to do, and honestly, while it feels like a huge project, I feel really good about being able to help them get across the finish line.
This is an Epic project, and a lot of them were onsite this week to help with building the system... So I got to meet some of them.
One asked, somewhat shyly, if I was "the guy who blogged about Epic?". I confessed I was, and she lit up - "I KNEW it! We heard a new guy was coming in from Cleveland, and we all thought it was probably you!". It was quite the brush with celebrity... ;->
I can already tell that the team is just dynamite. I'm going to enjoy this gig... REALLY!
And not just because it's 5 minutes from Uncle Franky's.
This is an Epic project, and a lot of them were onsite this week to help with building the system... So I got to meet some of them.
One asked, somewhat shyly, if I was "the guy who blogged about Epic?". I confessed I was, and she lit up - "I KNEW it! We heard a new guy was coming in from Cleveland, and we all thought it was probably you!". It was quite the brush with celebrity... ;->
I can already tell that the team is just dynamite. I'm going to enjoy this gig... REALLY!
And not just because it's 5 minutes from Uncle Franky's.
The Change
This was it - the week it all changed. It was my last week in Cleveland.
Looking back, it was a bit of a ride: I started in December, and it was supposed to be 3 months, 50% onsite. By January, it had accelerated to every week onsite, and by February, I was in an interim Director role. I was supposed to be done by March, then May, then September... And each time, there looked like some glimmer of hope that I could go, and each time there was some circumstance that kept me in place.
I've complained in the past - but I'm done with that. It was work, and yes, there was severe and deep dysfunction in the client, but looking back, I don't know if it was WORSE than any other. The issue was that the core WORK I was doing was stressful at a time when me and the family were ready for me to come home. And the work itself after the start became a lot of people management. A LOT.
Last Friday I spent an hour on the phone with two of my team members, listening to their sides of a dispute, and recommending "communication strategies" to keep them both on the team and not killing eachother. It was a big team - almost 40 reported directly to me, over 70 on the whole team. 30 were contractors I was responsible for managing, so I also did a lot of travel approvals, room and car rate negotiations, explanation of the per diem policy... and the obligatory "being nice to their salespeople" thing. Actually that was pretty easy, having been on the other side. More than one told me I was the best client to work with they'd had in years, because I knew their life. If this was a local gig, I probably could have stuck with it, but add to this it was travel... it was too much.
Anyway, we set this week as my last week: The client was in fact no closer than they ever had been to replacing me... we were getting ready for another Lucy Football Pull, and another round of "gosh, what will we do - just 3 more months". Well, Bella and Isaac and Pamela let me know they had enough. It was really time to recognize that there IS no good time... and they needed me more. I agreed.
Happily I didn't have to leave my consulting company to make this work: We swapped me out for another person in the firm... someone who will do a great job taking them to the next stage. She's also a lot tougher than I am, and will probably leave a different impression with the team.
On Monday I had a going away party. My bosses gave me tearful hugs. Actual tearful hugs, and hugs without the back patting. It was a little odd, but hey. And I had co-workers toasting me, getting drunker and drunker and standing and making declarations like "JIM YOU ARE A GOOD MAN. A GOOD SOUL, AND WE ARE HONORED TO HAVE WORKED FOR YOU". It was like an irish wake... with me still out of the pine box. Fortunately the pub was just a couple of blocks from my hotel, so I was able to celebrate AND walk home.
The week was a whirlwind of activity. In the middle of the week, I actually had a big presentation for my client in Allentown too, a preliminary findings review that had me up to 1am drawing data flow pictures. And I tried to hit all of my favorite restaurants: Breakfasts at LA Pete's, Dunkin, the Hotel Lobby, and Starbucks. Lunches at Aladdin's, the Winking Lizard, and Heidi's deli. Dinners at Romano's (a good fill in for Geraci's), Lola, and Hoggy's. I missed a final visit to Taza (lebanese), and Mike's Cozmic Subs... but it was a good round-up.
The flight home was on time and uneventful. I had a good conversation with a woman who is also consulting in Cleveland, and knows some of the people I'll be working with in Minneapolis. She gave me some good info.
As the flight came in, for the first time, we approached from the north EAST, and circled around to South West, and back in to the airport. So it was a long orbit around downtown, which stayed just in view out my window on the left side of the plane. A lingering sight to say "welcome home".
I got home in time to read another chapter of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkeban to Bella (the chapter with the Knight Bus - we were laughing a lot at my attempt to do the cockney voice of the bus conductor). And it was good to be home.
Looking back, it was a bit of a ride: I started in December, and it was supposed to be 3 months, 50% onsite. By January, it had accelerated to every week onsite, and by February, I was in an interim Director role. I was supposed to be done by March, then May, then September... And each time, there looked like some glimmer of hope that I could go, and each time there was some circumstance that kept me in place.
I've complained in the past - but I'm done with that. It was work, and yes, there was severe and deep dysfunction in the client, but looking back, I don't know if it was WORSE than any other. The issue was that the core WORK I was doing was stressful at a time when me and the family were ready for me to come home. And the work itself after the start became a lot of people management. A LOT.
Last Friday I spent an hour on the phone with two of my team members, listening to their sides of a dispute, and recommending "communication strategies" to keep them both on the team and not killing eachother. It was a big team - almost 40 reported directly to me, over 70 on the whole team. 30 were contractors I was responsible for managing, so I also did a lot of travel approvals, room and car rate negotiations, explanation of the per diem policy... and the obligatory "being nice to their salespeople" thing. Actually that was pretty easy, having been on the other side. More than one told me I was the best client to work with they'd had in years, because I knew their life. If this was a local gig, I probably could have stuck with it, but add to this it was travel... it was too much.
Anyway, we set this week as my last week: The client was in fact no closer than they ever had been to replacing me... we were getting ready for another Lucy Football Pull, and another round of "gosh, what will we do - just 3 more months". Well, Bella and Isaac and Pamela let me know they had enough. It was really time to recognize that there IS no good time... and they needed me more. I agreed.
Happily I didn't have to leave my consulting company to make this work: We swapped me out for another person in the firm... someone who will do a great job taking them to the next stage. She's also a lot tougher than I am, and will probably leave a different impression with the team.
On Monday I had a going away party. My bosses gave me tearful hugs. Actual tearful hugs, and hugs without the back patting. It was a little odd, but hey. And I had co-workers toasting me, getting drunker and drunker and standing and making declarations like "JIM YOU ARE A GOOD MAN. A GOOD SOUL, AND WE ARE HONORED TO HAVE WORKED FOR YOU". It was like an irish wake... with me still out of the pine box. Fortunately the pub was just a couple of blocks from my hotel, so I was able to celebrate AND walk home.
The week was a whirlwind of activity. In the middle of the week, I actually had a big presentation for my client in Allentown too, a preliminary findings review that had me up to 1am drawing data flow pictures. And I tried to hit all of my favorite restaurants: Breakfasts at LA Pete's, Dunkin, the Hotel Lobby, and Starbucks. Lunches at Aladdin's, the Winking Lizard, and Heidi's deli. Dinners at Romano's (a good fill in for Geraci's), Lola, and Hoggy's. I missed a final visit to Taza (lebanese), and Mike's Cozmic Subs... but it was a good round-up.
The flight home was on time and uneventful. I had a good conversation with a woman who is also consulting in Cleveland, and knows some of the people I'll be working with in Minneapolis. She gave me some good info.
As the flight came in, for the first time, we approached from the north EAST, and circled around to South West, and back in to the airport. So it was a long orbit around downtown, which stayed just in view out my window on the left side of the plane. A lingering sight to say "welcome home".
I got home in time to read another chapter of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkeban to Bella (the chapter with the Knight Bus - we were laughing a lot at my attempt to do the cockney voice of the bus conductor). And it was good to be home.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Falling Apart
Since Thursday morning when the gig was finally and truly "got", Pamela and I have been threatening to have a "celebration" - let's open some champagne! Let's kick up our heels!
Hasn't really worked out that way yet: Thursday the kids were good and wound up and I didn't emerge from Bella's room until almost 10, and Pamela was already in bed. Friday, Pamela fell asleep on the couch while I was teaching Bella double-deck solitaire before 8pm. About 4 sips were taken from the bottle of bubbly we did open.
Today, the exhaustion perhaps was explained, as she was laid low mid-afternoon by a stomach flu.
Still, if we're going to be doing nothing, it's a great day to do it: Huge heavy snow fell across the area, and the trees and power lines were ill prepared. We lost a gorgeous tree across the street, and there were fallen branches everywhere, plus the odd live wire.
The Jaguar proved it's complete ineptness in snow yet again, and I went through my annual "I'm SELLING THIS THING and buying a 4x4" rant (I love the car 350 days of the year, but those other 15 I hate it a whole lot). But I did need to use the car, as Pamela took Bella to Synchro swimming in the AM, and I finally took Isaac to the doctor to see about his rampant mucus (like 10 days of runny nose and phlegmy cough). The doctor assured me it wasn't pneumonia - likely just some bacteria who are having a long party in his sinuses and need to get spanked with some antibiotics. So Isaac is on the meds, and conked out.
Bella and Jenny are having a sleepover tonight: Bella is right now sewing together a bear from felt that she designed and cut out, and is now stuffing and stitching. And sewing buttons on for eyes, which are huge, mismatched, and mental. She's wonderful.
I think it's about time for me to ship those girls up off to bed now...
Hasn't really worked out that way yet: Thursday the kids were good and wound up and I didn't emerge from Bella's room until almost 10, and Pamela was already in bed. Friday, Pamela fell asleep on the couch while I was teaching Bella double-deck solitaire before 8pm. About 4 sips were taken from the bottle of bubbly we did open.
Today, the exhaustion perhaps was explained, as she was laid low mid-afternoon by a stomach flu.
Still, if we're going to be doing nothing, it's a great day to do it: Huge heavy snow fell across the area, and the trees and power lines were ill prepared. We lost a gorgeous tree across the street, and there were fallen branches everywhere, plus the odd live wire.
The Jaguar proved it's complete ineptness in snow yet again, and I went through my annual "I'm SELLING THIS THING and buying a 4x4" rant (I love the car 350 days of the year, but those other 15 I hate it a whole lot). But I did need to use the car, as Pamela took Bella to Synchro swimming in the AM, and I finally took Isaac to the doctor to see about his rampant mucus (like 10 days of runny nose and phlegmy cough). The doctor assured me it wasn't pneumonia - likely just some bacteria who are having a long party in his sinuses and need to get spanked with some antibiotics. So Isaac is on the meds, and conked out.
Bella and Jenny are having a sleepover tonight: Bella is right now sewing together a bear from felt that she designed and cut out, and is now stuffing and stitching. And sewing buttons on for eyes, which are huge, mismatched, and mental. She's wonderful.
I think it's about time for me to ship those girls up off to bed now...
Things to report...
Sorry for going quiet on the blog these past weeks - there have been things afoot that I have been afraid to announce prematurely or jinx, but I'm ready now.
Part One: I made the decision that I needed to get off the road no matter what, and started the process with Cleveland. I didn't have anything else lined up, but we set an end-date, which is next Friday, Nov 19. Of course Cleveland was shocked and unhappy, but I feel that my reason is really unassailable: Traveling has been too hard on my family (and on me), and it's not what I want to do. If I was leaving to go to another traveling gig, I think they would be right to be peeved. But I'm getting OFF the airplane thing.
So in that light, Cleveland has shown some good colors, and everyone has been wonderfully supportive. I'm still feeling a bit conflicted - like somehow I'm supposed to have been able to "tough this out", but it was just too hard. On everyone.
Part Two: Having made that decision, I finally decided to find a local gig: I did this back in May when I thought I was leaving the first time, and had several good gigs lined up, and had to back away from them. So until I really knew I was leaving, I didn't want to get anyone started.
Fortunately, it was only a few days into looking that I found something: A big health system in the Twin Cities is going Epic, and they FIRED a key project manager, and the team is somewhat dispirited, and there's an immoveable deadline. I would point you to the blog postings surrounding summer 2006 for a similar engagement in North Minneapolis, and how I was able to deliver on that.
So I did a phone screen 2 weeks ago, went in for an in-person interview on Monday, got the job and was asked to start Wednesday (I'm working from Mpls this week). On Tuesday they called and said there was one more person I needed to interview, so could I come in on Thursday instead? SURE. I interviewed Thursday, and got an email asking me to come in at 1pm for the rest of the day.
And so I am officially "on the job". And happily, it's a clinically-focused project, instead of Revenue Cycle, so I actually will have more fun with it. At the same time, I'm wrapping up Cleveland this next week (my final trip out!), so I have two jobs - always a good time... And I start my birthday week fresh with just the one job, and no airplanes needed.
Two other advantages to this gig: When I've needed to do little one-day trips to New Orleans or Allentown, it has always been tough arranging travel to Cleveland, then to these places (and always via Detroit), then back. My one-shots will be a lot easier from this Delta Hub. Plus the place I'm starting uses the ROWE (Results Oriented Work Environment) philosophy, which means "we don't care where you are as long as the work is getting done". So conference calls won't be a problem.
And I don't think that planning around a 1 night trip every 2-3 weeks to one of my little strategic gigs is inconsistent with "getting off the road" - the ROAD I'm trying to get off is the one where I'm away 3 nights and 4 days from my family every dang week.
With the decision made and the safe landing spot found, I must say that my stress level is just plummeting. And I'm having a lot more fun with the kids - I can step outside myself and see that for months, my Fri-Sat-Sun time with them was tinged with a sadness of trying to "fit this in" before heading away again. This week, the fun has been less "pressured" - like "we're just hanging out like we always do, and always will". It's a subtle difference, but it feels wonderful.
I'll make it through this week in Cleveland. Things are getting better. They ARE better.
Part One: I made the decision that I needed to get off the road no matter what, and started the process with Cleveland. I didn't have anything else lined up, but we set an end-date, which is next Friday, Nov 19. Of course Cleveland was shocked and unhappy, but I feel that my reason is really unassailable: Traveling has been too hard on my family (and on me), and it's not what I want to do. If I was leaving to go to another traveling gig, I think they would be right to be peeved. But I'm getting OFF the airplane thing.
So in that light, Cleveland has shown some good colors, and everyone has been wonderfully supportive. I'm still feeling a bit conflicted - like somehow I'm supposed to have been able to "tough this out", but it was just too hard. On everyone.
Part Two: Having made that decision, I finally decided to find a local gig: I did this back in May when I thought I was leaving the first time, and had several good gigs lined up, and had to back away from them. So until I really knew I was leaving, I didn't want to get anyone started.
Fortunately, it was only a few days into looking that I found something: A big health system in the Twin Cities is going Epic, and they FIRED a key project manager, and the team is somewhat dispirited, and there's an immoveable deadline. I would point you to the blog postings surrounding summer 2006 for a similar engagement in North Minneapolis, and how I was able to deliver on that.
So I did a phone screen 2 weeks ago, went in for an in-person interview on Monday, got the job and was asked to start Wednesday (I'm working from Mpls this week). On Tuesday they called and said there was one more person I needed to interview, so could I come in on Thursday instead? SURE. I interviewed Thursday, and got an email asking me to come in at 1pm for the rest of the day.
And so I am officially "on the job". And happily, it's a clinically-focused project, instead of Revenue Cycle, so I actually will have more fun with it. At the same time, I'm wrapping up Cleveland this next week (my final trip out!), so I have two jobs - always a good time... And I start my birthday week fresh with just the one job, and no airplanes needed.
Two other advantages to this gig: When I've needed to do little one-day trips to New Orleans or Allentown, it has always been tough arranging travel to Cleveland, then to these places (and always via Detroit), then back. My one-shots will be a lot easier from this Delta Hub. Plus the place I'm starting uses the ROWE (Results Oriented Work Environment) philosophy, which means "we don't care where you are as long as the work is getting done". So conference calls won't be a problem.
And I don't think that planning around a 1 night trip every 2-3 weeks to one of my little strategic gigs is inconsistent with "getting off the road" - the ROAD I'm trying to get off is the one where I'm away 3 nights and 4 days from my family every dang week.
With the decision made and the safe landing spot found, I must say that my stress level is just plummeting. And I'm having a lot more fun with the kids - I can step outside myself and see that for months, my Fri-Sat-Sun time with them was tinged with a sadness of trying to "fit this in" before heading away again. This week, the fun has been less "pressured" - like "we're just hanging out like we always do, and always will". It's a subtle difference, but it feels wonderful.
I'll make it through this week in Cleveland. Things are getting better. They ARE better.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Bella's Art Show
A spontaneous thing this week at School:
Bella and her classmates were all doing art, and Bella issued a challenge that they should all do pictures of monsters/aliens. So everyone did, except for some kids who wanted to do other things, so Bella said "ok, it's just anything you want to do, but it's a grand contest". Everyone nominated Bella to be the judge, so the kids all gave Bella their art work, and she brought it home for judging.
She was worried about ranking them first to last, but said not to worry, her piece would take last place because it wouldn't be fair otherwise. But then she got the idea that instead of ranking them, she'd find something that each picture was "best" of - most colorful, craziest eyes, most hearts, longest tongue, and she'd do the awards that way.
She spent a lot of time coming up with the awards, and brought her first batch of judged works back to school.
But instead of making a big deal out the contest, she just put the results into the kid's take home shelves, for them to find at the end of the day.
And of course, everyone is giving her more and more artwork for the contest, and Bella loves being asked her opinion.
There are a few things I love:
1) Bella organized this.
2) Bella decided to accentuate the positive and look for the good in everything
3) Bella didn't want to use this for any glory - she just popped them into the boxes. She doesn't even know what people's reactions are.
This whole thing just has made me so happy and proud of my girl.
Bella and her classmates were all doing art, and Bella issued a challenge that they should all do pictures of monsters/aliens. So everyone did, except for some kids who wanted to do other things, so Bella said "ok, it's just anything you want to do, but it's a grand contest". Everyone nominated Bella to be the judge, so the kids all gave Bella their art work, and she brought it home for judging.
She was worried about ranking them first to last, but said not to worry, her piece would take last place because it wouldn't be fair otherwise. But then she got the idea that instead of ranking them, she'd find something that each picture was "best" of - most colorful, craziest eyes, most hearts, longest tongue, and she'd do the awards that way.
She spent a lot of time coming up with the awards, and brought her first batch of judged works back to school.
But instead of making a big deal out the contest, she just put the results into the kid's take home shelves, for them to find at the end of the day.
And of course, everyone is giving her more and more artwork for the contest, and Bella loves being asked her opinion.
There are a few things I love:
1) Bella organized this.
2) Bella decided to accentuate the positive and look for the good in everything
3) Bella didn't want to use this for any glory - she just popped them into the boxes. She doesn't even know what people's reactions are.
This whole thing just has made me so happy and proud of my girl.
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