The More Things Change . . .

I hate it when I'm right. That aforementioned ominous feeling turned into problems at work for some of my friends. The economy has hit home, and there were some layoffs at work impacting a lot of my friends and colleagues. Sometimes being on the list of people that are spared is just as hard as those that I had to let go. While I should be concerned about my present state of health (which hasn't been that great since the last entry), I'm a bit more concerned about friends and colleagues.

One of my personal rules of management has always been to surround myself with talented people with dedication and passion for what they do. I've been reminded that it is important to also keep emotions in check. In a layoff situation, it is kind of like losing part of your extended family, but you've still got to keep things running or you'll start to lose command of your team. The command principles of management remind us to keep the appropriate barriers if you're going to guide your team into the future. It's been an constant stream of changes and a deep sense of loss. Keeping emotions in check might be the right thing at the office, but there has to be a balance somewhere.

For me, the hardest part was losing my protege to the layoff, at least from the office. Sometimes, it just doesn't make sense to always follow the standard rules of the management game. In these trying times, it has been more important for me to follow my conscience than to keep some of those barriers up, especially with my protege. It's been an interesting journey watching him grow from a college kid that I was mentoring into a dedicated a loyal assistant to me for the last couple of years. He's earned my respect and friendship, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to help him as he continues his career.

We've been through some trying times in the last couple of weeks. I've been told that it might be time to start taking care of myself. Now that would be a welcome change...

See ya.