Lack of Blogging Motivation

I guess when it is too warm to be outside or too cold to be outside, I can find the motivation to write more.  In the spring and fall, I just seem to find more things to do that are more fulfilling than writing on this blog.   One thing we did this last week that burned a whole in as couple of days was go to Clinton, MO and to ride the KATY trail out 10 miles and back.  We have been trying to get my Niece Jenn to ride with us as she talked about the trail ride so much we got excited.  Seems like her schedule got full and she couldn't work it in.   We are excited that she is taking the Captain's exam on Monday and we fully understand that getting ready for a promotion is a lot more important than a trail ride.  

Speaking of promotion,  I always wondered what it was that made me want to be the boss so much.  I worked for some good people and I worked for some pretty poor bosses at times.  I learned a lot in both cases.  There were some that were so bad that I saw what stupid moves could cause and how good communication could make a job better.  The one thing I found the hard way was that it is never easier to move up.  There is a break over point where helping your employees and writing evaluations takes away from the satisfaction of doing a good job on minor projects.  One thing I found out the hard way was that getting up from your desk was a whole lot easier than sitting in your office trying to find out what your people are doing.  I tried several ways to get information from the staff but most of the time it was just best to get up off the desk and go see. 


The one thing that the Military did fairly well was to highlight the steps for promotion.  There was mandatory education that came at almost every step.  Some of it was not needed but in a lot of ways it just made me think about some of the alternatives.  After I completed Command and General Staff College, I decided that because I couldn't make general with my job, I would focus on my personal education.  I tried to read a different management book about one a month.  I think I came up with a lot of good ideas and some that just didn't do anything.  I read the "One Minute Manager" to find out what COL Fox was trying to do.  He had the steps down but he kept leaving gout the kiss 'em in the the kick 'e, kiss 'em, kick 'em sequence  In fact I had to get the book on how to counter the "One Minute Manager" to get him from using it.  I saw the book in his trash one day after I shot his process full of holes.  I am sure that he thought he was doing a pretty good job of rewarding me until I pointed out that he hadn't done squat for me in three years.  

Riding on the KATY Trail

Oh well, moving on and doing things.


MUD