MGMT 535 - Week Two Reflections

 I now have someone I would offer to take to lunch only to practice what the TED speaker mentioned. For 11 years I've had zero personality conflicts. Everyone is professional and we all work together for a common solution. Unfortunately, that changed this year. I'd like to invite Felicia out to lunch. However, I'm not sure the three questions and the methods of understanding Elizabeth Lesser relayed would help solve anything. The reason I say this is because Felicia and I had no problems work wise. However, other folks in my team were having problems with her. I was in disbelief at some of the claims because my relationship was fine. I knew all about her failed marriage, her previous assignments, her family's wine business in Sonoma, CA. We talked about all sorts of things, that weren't work related like, cryptocurrency, buying tax liens, etc. However, one by one, someone was always in conflict with Felicia. Then it was my turn. The funny thing is...I began to confess to Felicia that I was getting my "spidey sense" tingling. I've only gotten that feeling in combat situations and dire consequence scenarios...but I get a milder sensation on other occasions. Of course, I was telling Felicia all of this. I relayed it to my wife and she said immediately that Felicia is a rat! I asked my wife why she felt that way. She stated that although she only hears one side of the conversation, she knows me and what would prompt me to say certain things. Of course, she wasn't wrong. So enter all of the communication issues we've mentioned in the first chapter (bcc, leaving you out of the email chain, etc). I was Felicia's next target.

Now back to the TED talk. Nope, her techniques won't work. Why? Felicia is the type of personality that is not satisfied unless there is drama. She is the cause of the drama. She fares well within the drama. Her sense of accomplishment and control is fostered by the demise or undercutting of her colleagues. In cases like this, management will have to determine how many disgruntled employee's will she be allowed to create until productivity suffers to a point where something must be done.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MGMT 535 - Week 8 Blog

 As I reflect on all that this course presented in the way of communications, I think I see some growth in my potential communications style. In the beginning of the course we were presented information on culture. As a military brat and subsequent military officer, stationed all over the world, I have always been aware of cultural differences and my role in making myself fit expectations. However, I never thought to look at my internal communications within my everyday life and job as an avenue to bring that same awareness and focus to cultural differences, etc. It's even more appropriate as I now have a female asian, direct supervisor! I will tell you that in the beginning it was not easy. However, I actually called her at the peak of my frustration and admitted a realization, that pretty much broke a barrier (and I don't know which one) that now allows for open communication. What I told her, is that it is my fault for not recognizing the change that was being directed from ...
Read more

MGMT 535 - Week 3 Reflections

 As I've stated before, there are several workforce organizations within the TSA. We have the blue shirts (TSO's) that do the screening and security missions at the airports and then you have HQ, which does everything else to support the TSO's.  I work in the field testing the equipment the TSO's use to conduct screening. When that equipment doesn't work or work well, I hear about it. In one particular instance, we were testing some new equipment at Long Beach Airport. The equipment that was being temporarily replaced was old and slow. In the security screening game, timeliness is a key metric. The airlines are quick to throw the TSA under the bus as to the reason why a bag missed a flight, when in reality the problem rests with the airlines baggage operations. The good thing about being in the TSA is we can time stamp the moment the bag was handed off to the TSA, with timestamps throughout the security equipment processing and timestamps when it was handed off to t...
Read more

MGMT 535 - Week 7 Blog

Thinking about the past year from June 2020 - now, there was one big change. We onboarded a new Test & Evaluation Director (a newly retired Air Force 2 star general). What changed...communication. Of course, the first folks to bend his ear, where those in leadership positions and closest to him. It was apparent when he held is first one on one meetings with the rank and file...the perceptions from leadership and those of the everyday worker, were completely different. As you know, we worker bee's have a lot closer relationship than we may let on. We were all comparing what was asked of the director and how they responded. That allowed all of us to echo the same themes as well as echo the same items of interest. What came out of that first round of "talks" was the edict that the rules are no longer rules and all options for solving challenges were on the table. In this one move, the boss had opened up the portals for creativity not unlike what the TED Talk speaker ment...
Read more