Being a Manager... My Quick Thoughts

I think that managers play a critical role in setting the tone in an organization.

• You have to be afraid but you can't be so impaired by fear that you cannot make a decision.
• You have to be able to give criticism, but you have to be able to take it too.
• You have to be able to teach, while learning, and getting others in the teaching mindset.
• You have to be confidential, but you can't hoard information that needs to be shared for others to grow.
• You have to be serious, but you have to be able to laugh and come down to earth with your team members.
• You have to be diligent and hardworking, but you have to know when to delegate and empower others - without them feeling like you've dropped your work on them.
• You have to be willing to investigate, and find fault - and be willing to admit when it's your fault.
• You have to be kind, but don't be a walkover.
• You have to be unbiased, but you have to know when you have to make a decision that may be hard on someone.
• You have to be able to communicate and make presentations, and you have to do your research and be prepared. There's no going around this.

These are just my quick thoughts on August 26, 2019. Please comment and add more.

Daily Juggling - Making, Making Do and Doing

When you venture into any public space outside of your house, you have to put on your game face, tuck in your tummy and get ready for the challenges. No matter how you plan and coordinate, you have to be ready for the inevitable. I have been planning this whole week to package some files and I really think that I have had the best intentions.

However, every day something else pops up - some good and some bad. There are some things that I would prefer to avoid but if I want to be successful in my current role, I have to try to meet the various demands. There is a lot that I don't plan for and it's not that I am disorganized or that I procrastinate. It's just the nature of the way things work. The unexpected comes and you have to respond. Sometimes, I am at a loss as to how to respond and I have to take time to consider the situation.

When you go to college, you learn a lot of theory and you discuss what the possibilities could be in a situation. Real life is much different. I always encourage people to share their story on their journey so that others can learn from them. Raising a family, being an entrepreneur, working or leading a non-profit are all individual roles that demand your full attention and energy. There are some people who juggle all and more. Consider what challenges they may meet on a daily basis.

Therefore, we are all jugglers in some way. Today, I was told that sometimes we need take our time with situations and the advice is well taken. I find I have bursts of energy and other times, I feel overwhelmed. However, I put my best foot forward and try to accomplish as much as I can. The advice I mentioned has played out well several times because we often feel that we don't have the solution. We let the matter rest and eventually we find a solution or a solution finds us.

Whatever your role might be, you have to stay focused and as Kenny Rogers sang, you have to know when to hold, fold, walk away or run. Balance your priorities, maintain your physical health and be the best you that you can be.

ribbon

Acrostic Poem: Emancipation

Every soul rejoiced
Minds and bodies calmed
All engaged in the fight
Never flailing, never relenting
Capacities imagined and envisioned
Invigorated energy
Purposeful intentions
Anticipation for the future generations
Tireless toiling ended
Inventive mindset to resume
Open minds and arms to a
New life in freedom

© Linette Rabsatt

Words of Ribbon 2019