CMM Goes To The Lacrosse Game

Posted on 25. Feb, 2007 by Wayne in General

As promised, two lucky Chicago-area CMM listeners braved wintry weather and joined me at the Chicago Shamrox National Lacrosse League game on February 24. Here are Dennis Sherman, Roberto Castaneda and your humble servant.

Missing from this pic was the sorely-missed and perpetually chipper Phil Gerbyshak, who was snowed in and couldn’t make the drive from Milwaukee, apparently deciding that watching the Rox get beaten like red headed stepchildren wasn’t worth his life.

It was amazing to meet local listeners; we talked a little podcasting, a little lacrosse and everything from the future of the Web to Renaissance recorder playing. They also got a sneak preview of some cool Cranky Middle Manager show plans… watch the skies for news. Next time CMM throws a party, don’t be shy, show up!

How much do you want to bet the next post is from listener Adam in Minnesota, busting my chops about the Shamrox’ worst performance of the year? Who cares, it was a blast. Maybe we’ll do it again next year.

The Cranky Middle Manager Show #84 Work Life Fit With Cali Yost

Posted on 22. Feb, 2007 by Wayne in Podcast

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The Cranky Middle Manager Show #084

Welcome to The Cranky Middle Manager Show. If you’re cranky, it’s probably at least in part because your life is not balanced-not quite sure where work starts and the rest of your life begins. We talk about the fit between work and life with author Cali Yost.

0:00 Welcome to the Cranky Middle Manager Show. We have a lot of new listeners thanks to a boost from iTunes. I hope you enjoy it… long time listeners I promise not to suck up to the newbies too much.

This episode of the show is dedicated to Hera…head goddess and wife of Zeus. Talk about someone in need of a yoga class….

2:25 The quote of the week is from Ovid…what a roman poet knew about crops I’m not sure but his point is valid- step away from the damn Blackberry!

3:20 Welcome Cali Yost, author of WorkLife Fit. We’re going to avoid the term “work life balance”- what’s wrong with it? Fact is, no one can even define it. We’re talking about making your work and the rest of your life fit together so it works.

6:15 Why is the 20th Century so screwed up? We used to live on the farm or over the store you owned. Where are the boundaries for today?

9:54 The stereotypes about the workplace stop us from making the changes we need to make. The first-and biggest- is “They’ll say no”. So what if they do? So what if they don’t say no??? As long as the plan results in getting the work done, why not give it a shot?

13:45 What kind of little adjustments do you want to make that would make a difference? Figure out what you want and ask for it. It’s little changes that make a difference.

19:23 Isn’t this a mother’s issue? Men don’t worry about this stuff do they (we)? Men are significantly more inclined to worry about how they’re perceived.

24:00 The final stereotype is worrying about whether this will hurt your career or not. What happens if you don’t make a change? How likely are you to become CEO if you’re a burnout case?

26:00 Take the assessment on Cali’s website. How are you doing with your work life fit?

Resources

Cali’s site

Alliance for Work-life Progress

Women and Family Organization

28:00 If you’re a manager, don’t think you have to have all the solutions…let people suggest what works for them. it’s all about getting the work done.

Thanks for listening. Drop me an email, if you like. Post to the blog, be part of the conversation.

Don’t let the weasels get you down.

Chicago Blogger’s Conference May 11 and 12

Posted on 21. Feb, 2007 by Wayne in General

Folks, blogging conferences are a dime a dozen, but when one is put on by world-class relationship geeks and geekettes like Phil Gerbyshak (Make it Great) and Liz Strauss (BAD Bloggers and more) throw a bash, you know it will be worth checking out.

Take Your Blogging To the Next Level at SOBCON 07

The Sofitel O’Hare Hotel in Chicago is the place, there’ll be music, keynotes, breakout sessions and lots, lots more. You don’t want to be the only person Phil Gerbyshak hasn’t met personally……
Get Full Details Here….. it will be a blast.

Middle Managers Are All That’s Wrong With the Universe…Or At Least The British Economy

Posted on 16. Feb, 2007 by Wayne in General

I’m so seldom truly outraged by what I read that it’s hard to work up a really good rant, but then I read this article in Management Issues and almost had a coronary. You can read the whole article here….but let me share with you its opening salvo:

Far from being the backbone of the modern workplace, hapless middle managers have been castigated by Britain’s company bosses as the single biggest impediment to success and greater productivity.

More than a third of British directors believe their organisation is “paralysed” by ineffective managers, with underperforming middle managers costing the UK economy a massive £220 billion a year.

A study by management consultancy Hay Group has placed the blame for Britain’s productivity malaise squarely on the shoulder of middle managers, long considered the backbone of the modern workplace.

Moreover, four out of 10 directors believe their middle managers are the single greatest barrier to achieving their company’s objectives.

Okay, what outrages me the most?

• The claim that four out of 10 directors believe middle managers are the single greatest barrier to achieving their company’s objectives
• The notion that bad managers cost 220 pounds annually (and I can guarantee that’s not in salaries)
• The fact that this Hay Group sells management training, but apparently either not enough of it or what they sell doesn’t work worth a hoot, cause there are a lot of incompetents out there

All those claims may be true or not… but here’s what really outrages me. My limited understanding of the usual HR process tells me that the managers who apparently are throwing spanners in the normally smooth-running machinery of Business were hired by the very directors who are griping about them- so who’s fault is THAT?

I could be wrong, but here are a couple of things that could explain this:

1. Very intelligent, capable senior managers carefully screen, interview and hire seemingly capable people who become incompetent immediately upon assuming their new positions
2. Those same people are taking good, competent individual contributors and putting them in impossible situations, then passing the blame on. (God herself could not oversee an SAP implementation in 6 months, I don’t care what the project plan says)
3. They are taking good individual contributors, putting them in jobs that don’t require the skill sets that got them there, and not giving them the tools, training and support they need to learn the new job, so they’re not as effective as they should or could be
4. Middle managers really are useless, drooling morons. I’m not sure how someone with absolutely no power can negatively impact that much of an organization but for want of a nail, and all that……

Arise my brethren and sistren- we don’t have to take it. The revolution will not be televised, but it will be podcasted……Stay tuned.