other lyrics descriptive of my psychotic mood swings and such...Allanis Morrisett lyrics are pretty fitting

as if...don't see you professing yours...

Psychotic mood swings. Now we are talking!

We do have something in common after all...

To continue my mood swings, I typically turn to Jackson Browne.

Head Lice,

Oh humble one, how are you? You have been very quiet. Not that we are complaining...

Well Suzet*, I am relieved. I was seriously worried that I had offended you. By contrast, notice that Pio did not flinch an eyelash.

Anyway, I feel so left out. I want to change my screen name to Todd.AC*^+=/16.347..

Whom do I see about changing my screen name?

You can change it if we don't have to write that all out every time we talk to you.

I know this will cause all of you a great deal of hilarity but my best character traits used to be honesty and loyalty. I don't know what they are now. Maybe I haven't got any.

LOL jennifer.anne.com

Er, BigK (see I've dropped the Big Kangaroona so you can drop the Jennifer Anne.com) I wasn't really being funny.

They're the two things I've prided myself on all my life. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

I know Jen. I was just messing with you.

Oh I see. Cos I said you'd all find it hilarious.

I've just had an e-mail from my female manager (I've got the day off today) saying "we need to talk." I'm assuming it's about my colleague and it's really upset me because she hasn't actually told me what she "needs" to see me about so I'm going to stew about it all weekend.

I'm going to hand my notice in if this keeps going. I'm just too tired and depressed by it all.

Oh isn't that nice giving you a email like that when you have to wait 3 days.

Jen,

Do you mean subordinate?

And do you mean "female" manager to distinguish from your "male" manager or are you saying something there?

I just wanted to make it clear that it's all work related. If a male manager had e-mailed saying "we need to talk" you may have all got the wrong idea.

I have a line manager above me who handles administrative staff but is not part of the Department and she comes below but almost parallel with the Head of Department, who handles academic staff but also administrative staff, if you understand that weird heirachy. (sheesh, universities).

I guess my subordinate has been making the most of my day's leave to cause more trouble.

Anyway, I don't want to talk about work. I want to play the "favourite book" game.

Todd, I thought your story about the "funny" manager was very funny.

Your manager did you and your "problem" emplyee a disservice. She should have left it to you to form an opinion of the employee. When she negatively portrayed the employee to you, she painted a self-fulfilling prophecy, also called a Pygmalion Effect. It is the power of your manager's expectations.

It is difficult to turn yourself around is such circumstances let alone the employee. But, it can be done. What you have to do is to wipe her slate clean, as if you know nothing about her and stay fresh from there. Yes, it is difficult, but think of the sense of accomplishment you will have if you do this.

There was some chatter in this thread a couple of nights ago about whether money is a motivator. It is not, however, it is a satisfier.

Read the theories of Herzberg. He described "hygenic" factors that must be in place for motivation to occur.

Set a challenge for yourself with this employee. There is no greater feeling in the world than to turn an employee around 180 degrees.

Try to understand her and what makes her tick. Find things that motivate her. Fulfillment of such a challenge will do wonders for your work ego.

For reference, at the time I started my medical leave, I was a Senior Vice President for a major US corporation. I was a sought after manager that others internally wanted to work for, because I had the track record of ensuring success for my subordinates.

You can do this. The first step is to change your own attitude. It is the only chasm between you and success for your employee. Become her cheerleader instead of detractor. You will be amazed at the difference.

Oops! I had already entered this post.

Okay Jen, what is your favorite book(s)?

Do you struggle with metaphors as I do?

An aside to the training manager. One day, I walked down the corridor headed to an economics class that was part of my MBA program. I heard a voice call out: ToddAC, you mean nobody has killed you yet?

It was the training manager I wrote about. I went back and talked with her. She is so serious. But before I headed for class, I reminded her of the incident and left her in stiches. I left the job a few months later. Her husband is a total different story however. She was a rising star within the corporation and he was a teacher, so her salary prolly tripled his. To compensate, he devised one get rich quick after another. Every venture he tried lost money. Oh well, you had to be there I guess...

I've almost done this one. She likes to be busy and to be involved. I involved her yesterday, I kept her informed all day of a fire that needed to be put out. I involved her in the firefighting process. She said she would wait till Monday (when I'm back) to deal with the results and I know this is because she doesn't trust her own judgement and she trusts mine. That's gotta be a plus doesn't it?

Part of her wants to be the "top dog", part of her is glad that I'm in the firing line of all the problems.

I need to work on that. All she wants is to be involved and be part of the process.

Well, unless you change your mind, I will stay away from this topic...

Now, your favorite books and movies.

Oh, I just posted that and it got lost.

I have so many favourite books I couldn't list them all. I read anything and everything. I can't read "trash airport" fiction even for escapism. It just annoys me. I guess my favourite books are the ones I read over and over. Owning a bookstore (as we do) helps with my reading material. There is an author from Western Australia called Tim Winton and I LOVE his stuff. Also anything by Margaret Drabble, an English author. The classics, Shakespeare you name it, I've read it and loved it. Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird, Little Women, The Little House books, Lord of the Flies. Read 'em , loved 'em. Modern literature, ancient literature, read it, loved it.

And I don't have trouble with metaphors and symbolism *rolleyes*.

My favourite movies:

The Big Chill, The Big Easy (I LOVE that movie), anything vintage (like from the 40s), Ice Age, Shrek, I LOVED Hayley Mills films when I was a kid. Most chick flicks for escapism - gee, I dunno, I love the movies.

So honestly, do you get "The Old Man and the Sea"?

It is purely a book about an old man that caught a big fish, right?

And "Swept Away", the Italian film Shipwreck story, no?

Okay, maybe it is just a Hemingway thingy. For all the followers he has, I think he was a con man.

What say you?