Captain's log #3388 - How to please your boss #1 - Updates

My new boss at Nielsen took me aside on my first day and said: "Here are a few things which you should do". Amongst them was a new concept for me. "You should do things which please me", he said. In fact it seemed a strange request to me at the time (and a bit unusual as it was stated so bluntly), but now, many years later, it is making total sense to me.

Those of you who are working more closely with me know, of course, that I have very specific preferences. This has to do with my personal style and knowing my strenghts and weaknesses a little better these days. But for this series, I am going to try to be more general and reflect on what has worked for me in the past. I have had 16 bosses in my life (not counting the one at home!).

How to please your boss

Rule #1 - Updates

Give short and to-the-point updates on your progress, even if you have not been asked for it. Especially if you've had a success. Bosses are busy, but this is a sure-fire way of a) cheering them up, b) giving them a sense that things are progressing, even if they haven't pushed for them, and c) you are not monopolising their time.

Motto for my BPI?

A cardinal principle of Total Quality escapes too many managers: you cannot continuously improve interdependent systems and processes until you progressively perfect interdependent, interpersonal relationships.
Stephen Covey

Captain's log #3387 - Steven Covey's 90/10 Principle

Thanks to Kerstin Petersen for this. Read about it here.
Had a great practice run with it today. To start, let me explain one of the little games I like to play - I beat the boredom of commuting by trying to run the tank of my car down to the last drop before I go to a petrol station to fill up again. My range after yesterday's drive home was 18 miles remaining - result!

Now picture the scene. This morning I had to run Aly into town. I also had a call with Dorothy. No problem this can be done from the car, right? Well, only if your phone is charged, of course. Which it was not. So I grabbed my laptop and a cable to be able to charge the phone while talking. Did I take a jacket? Of course not - only a short hop. Ended up sitting in a freezing car (it was -1 C this morning, with my laptop the only source of electricity AND heat, because I could not afford to run the engine for fear of running out of gas. And of course, no jacket means no wallet, no wallet means no money and no money means no gas. Got home with no feeling left in my fingers, short of time for my next call to find the long awaited workmen had arrived to fix the roof. They needed direction and (this is England after all) tea. With milk. Which we don't have in the house. Back in the car, but hang on, there was a little problem there, still no petrol.

Rest of the day turned out nice though. 90/10 proven!

I am a Peter Drucker fan, don't you know?

Management by objective works - if you know the objectives. Ninety percent of the time you don't.
Peter Drucker

Captain's log #3386 - On how enthusiasm is infectious

I used to say that whenever I am depressed I need to go and visit one of our modelling hubs. The energy and bustle always cheers me up, as does the general attitude of our young analysts, keen to learn and progress, hard working, smart, and very very friendly.

Today I had the great pleasure of having lunch with one of the "young lions", Kaushal Mehta. He is so full of enthusiasm for the road ahead, has more innovative ideas than you can shake a stick at, and above all the deep seated desire to improve the current situation - all beyond my imagination.

I was not having the greatest of days, I was looking forward to my afternoon like a middle aged man preparing for his cholesterol test, but the session left me refreshed and full of hope for a bright future.

Apple

Ireland is in deep financial trouble, as we know. Somebody posted a good solution on facebook today:
- Apple will bail out Ireland and buy it outright
- Ireland will be re-named iLand
- It's inhabitants will be known as iPaddies

What would happen if Bill Gates decided to buy it?

Trending Now

Top dogs	Irritating flops
Citizen Cope More strategic thinking Trickle chargers for motor cycle batteries Dinner with friends in Oxford and Thame	Ireland Winter approaching Any public transport really Having to leave dinner when everybody else is getting ready for the post dinner party

Faces of GMT Project

Hi gang, I need your help with a little project I am working on. Not entirely sure what the final outcome will be (hey this is not a BPI project!).

What I have in mind is to create a collage and a gallery of "The Faces of the Global Modelling Team". I have many photographs from my trips around the world, but I thought it would be much more fun, if a lot of you took part.

What do I need?

I need photos of people who are or have been playing a part in the big adventure which is the GMT. These photos should be headshots and I would like two copies. The first one should be 100 pixels x 100 pixels, the second one 400 x 400. The head should be clearly visible against a light or dark background. It should take up a good portion of the frame (see examples below). The filename should be the name of the person and the format should be jpg.
Please email me your contributions to Michael.Curth@Nielsen.com using "Faces of GMT" in the subject line.

I will be sharing all photos I receive in a central pool, possibly on ishare and create a gallery on flickr with the 18 best shots (using the larger images). I will also create a collage (I will seek creative input, if I get stuck - which is likely ;-).

Please pass this on, using the link to this blog post.

Cheers and happy hunting....

Captain's log #3385 - Working with friends

Just returned from dinner with some of my friends (and colleagues). Bruce Richardson, Natalia Pina, Kerstin Petersen, Roshan Chattaway, Stephane Teissonniere.

Probably the last get together for a while with this group. Natalia is moving on to new, and hopefully better things. And who knows what the rest of us will be up to in the near and further away future.

Made me think. I have been truly blessed in the last few years.When I go to work, I am excited, because I "get to play" with my friends. True friends. Friends you can laugh with, debate, discuss, disagree, decide good things, go after things, develop, enjoy.

So much joy, so much hope and earnest engagement.

This makes me very happy in un-certain times.

'Nough for now. Time for a last drinkie then off to bed. Good night. M.

Free your mind

If you like mind maps you will like this.

http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

Portfolio

This was taken today on my morning walk in the fog.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelcurth

Trending this week

Top dogs	Irritating flops
Hot smoked salmon (cooked myself) Strategic Thinking Energy levels for 2011 Team work	Long and tedious conference calls Badly articulated calls for help Resource constraints Budget confusion

Captain's log #3384 - On finishing things

I am a good starter. Some years ago in my personal review my boss said: "well, of course - you are not a finisher"; so he was marking me down. I seem to remember I let that one go, although I really didn't agree then and I don't agree now.
There are starters and then there are finishers. I need to be surrounded by finishers, that's all. If I was a finisher, maybe I would not get so many things off the ground.

However.... reputations are built on results and even if you have many helpers, the drive, the will to see things through does have to exist.

What works for me these days is to follow this programme:
- float an idea and see how people react
- refine idea with input from "analyst" type people around me
- get a project team set up with the right leader
- put review points in and keep reviewing it

Above all keep asking this question:
"By when will we achieve this and that?"
If your team does not know the answer follow up with "By when will you know when you will know?"

Be reasonable but state your requirements clearly and make sure you have all, starters, analysts, implementers, doers, relationship builders, communicators, and finishers.

Tata for now

Writer's blog(ck) at the moment

I can't think about anything interesting to say today - so... if you are bored and you like games try Onslaught 2 (the ultimate in tower defense games). It's online and it's free. http://onslaught.playr.co.uk/index.html

Thought of the day

"Everything will be alright in the end; if it's not alright then it's not the end."

Worked a bit on my Flickr site

have not done anything about this for the last 6 months - not good enough...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelcurth/

Trending today

Up this week:

walking the dog in nice autumnal weather

good curry

modelling hub headcount

red wine

open fires

This weeks relegates:

Informatica invoices

budget meetings

expensive cigarettes

hospital visits

 

Applications

I am really a sucker for applications. In the same way that Mr Hogan likes his gadgets, I cannot resist a good piece of software. Or, truth be told, any piece of software. My hard disk is littered with partial and abandoned installations. There is a reason, why I have a "private" laptop - who knows what the IT support people would have to say. Furthermore I count myself lucky by not having an iphone, ipad, etc - I would display "permanently busy with app installations" on my communicator.

 

In a somewhat related development, I have actually become pretty adapt in rooting out viruses, worms, and other harmful creatures. I know they have a right to live - but not in my backyard.

 

Now and then, there is a break-through app for me. This year's favourite - Tibco Sportfire. If you haven't tried it - go for it. It changed the way I explore data and it is a joy to use.

Captain's log #3383 - On Neil Peart

Enjoyed old music clips on the internet over the weekend and eventually cam across one of the best drummers I have ver had the pleasure to see - Neil Peart from Rush.

Enjoy: http://www.onlinedrummer.com/drummer.php?BeatId=460