(Sung to the tune of "Springtime for Hitler" from the hilarious movie/play/movie-remake "The Producers")
Ah Spring!
When I lived up north, the physical and psychological impact and importance of spring was much more powerful indeed. It would be like a magical transformation. I marveled every year about the fact that the entire outdoor environment would suddenly, seemingly in the course of one week, change from the smells of decay and detrius to sweet flowers and seabreezes. From the feel of bitter frost and chafing dryness to glowing warmth and gentle mists. From the sounds of wearily whistling winds and lonely train whistles off in the distance in the dark to happily chirping birds and gleeful children at-play laughing in the sunshine. From the colors of grey, brown, white and black to green, yellow, purple and baby blue.
This transformation occurs on a much more subtle level here though. The landscape goes from a dull green to a vivid green. The buzzing of the lawn mowers and hedge trimmers increases in frequency from one every other week to every week and for longer durations. The temperature rises from the 70's to the 80's. And instead of live oak and mature ragweed pollen we have grass and flowering annuals pollen. (good for me since I'm allergic to the dry forms of the former but not the latter in any humidity level)
Alright, enough about the changes due to nature...lets get to talking about the nature of the changes...the changes in my life, that is.
As you know I am working now, at the software company. I am doing customer care for users of the company's software. The customers calling in are mainly business (less kooky calls) and relatively (from what I can garner from training so far) quick and easy solutions to their companies update needs for backup software solutions for their servers and clients. Any issues more involved than a few minutes resolution will likely need to be forwarded to another department for completion. Simple, huh?
Well, I hope so.
But, here are the issues at hand so I in the future, and you in the present can analyze these as they present themselves:
There are a few similarities to past personal experiences...some of which I've mentioned on this blog, others I haven't gotten to yet.
The training seemed poorly prepared and inadequately informed. The topics covered were either too brusk and assumptive, even on extremely technical aspects or slowed to a Down's Syndrome pace for intuitive concepts....shades of the cruise booking company posted about just 2 months ago.
The unit of the company in which I am employed is domined by women. (Not very unusual for customer service). And so far, EVERY, not just some, but EVERY supervisor I have met or been made aware of that will be over me (other than the CEO) is a woman. My history with women supervisors is less than desirable. I'm not being sexist...as a gay man I like to see the traditional "all boys club" barriers challenged and bested...but only if deserved. (Warning: Soapbox opinions follow regarding fair employment policies and the "PC"/ "minority-sensitive" environment of the modern workplace) In my experience, women are poorly qualified for management. This opinion is based on years of personal observation in a myriad of occupational fields and capacities. But, to be fair, I feel us fags also make poor managers (though not as bad as women). Here's why:
1) Too emotional: Every decision, small and large has roots in how the woman feels about the situation and the persons involved. Not always best in management.
2) Too ready to fly "off the cuff": Again, most likely as a result of the emotion involved, a woman manager is more likely to "jump to conclusions"...good or bad. Example: Already in this job I've seen our management level female trainer bark at and public humiliate and chastise a subordinate (Which in this case happened to be a male...but in my experience, they can be this way as readily with "their own", though with some it may be, subconsciously or consciously a "reverse-sexism" issue)
3) Indecisive...ummm, really!...To the point of virtually manic-depressive, bi-polar opposite positions on issues in seemingly illogical timespans: Okay, everyone has a change of heart, rethinks a decision and decides to change it. But women in management seem to be prone to not just a re-evaluation and minor revision of previous ideas, but entire destruction of a policy and reconstruction in an exactly opposite direction...with minutes notice. Reminds one of the mid-announcement changes in political and military allegiances in the Orwell novel "1984".
4) Dishonesty is the best policy: They are liars. They waddle around with their wide asses and expect you to open doors for them and offer seats to them if none are available. It is the "gentlemanly" thing to do after all. But if they for what ever reason have it in for you. They will sound so convincing to even the most skeptical listener that they were maligned by you. You, as a man, are immediately placed in a defensive role, simply because of the perceptions of male/female roles, regardless of position.
BTW, the woman=boss/me=subordinate BAD experiences are as follows:
HoJo's/Terry...1983
Taunton Sporting Goods Store/Adele...1986
BVC/Linda and Leslie...1987
Cranston Center/Lynn...1988
Amego/Karen...1989-90
Northern RIARC/Chris...1991-92
Northern RIARC/Jen...1993
SHIP/co-workers Kim, Latarsha(yes, the same HR rep mentioned in a previous post, but we came to an understanding over the years), Daphne, and Lynn...2000-02
iCare/Sue...2004
PMA/Glenda...2004
CNM/(Carol) Tiffany...2006
This listing is not meant to minimize the issues I've had with male bosses over the years...because I have and in some cases may have been more problematic than female boss cases...but the above highlight the aspects of female management styles I have referenced in the above itemization. And, in some cases, then some.
Hopefully things will work out well for this female dominated environment I'm in this time.
One can only hope.
Ah Spring!
When I lived up north, the physical and psychological impact and importance of spring was much more powerful indeed. It would be like a magical transformation. I marveled every year about the fact that the entire outdoor environment would suddenly, seemingly in the course of one week, change from the smells of decay and detrius to sweet flowers and seabreezes. From the feel of bitter frost and chafing dryness to glowing warmth and gentle mists. From the sounds of wearily whistling winds and lonely train whistles off in the distance in the dark to happily chirping birds and gleeful children at-play laughing in the sunshine. From the colors of grey, brown, white and black to green, yellow, purple and baby blue.
This transformation occurs on a much more subtle level here though. The landscape goes from a dull green to a vivid green. The buzzing of the lawn mowers and hedge trimmers increases in frequency from one every other week to every week and for longer durations. The temperature rises from the 70's to the 80's. And instead of live oak and mature ragweed pollen we have grass and flowering annuals pollen. (good for me since I'm allergic to the dry forms of the former but not the latter in any humidity level)
Alright, enough about the changes due to nature...lets get to talking about the nature of the changes...the changes in my life, that is.
As you know I am working now, at the software company. I am doing customer care for users of the company's software. The customers calling in are mainly business (less kooky calls) and relatively (from what I can garner from training so far) quick and easy solutions to their companies update needs for backup software solutions for their servers and clients. Any issues more involved than a few minutes resolution will likely need to be forwarded to another department for completion. Simple, huh?
Well, I hope so.
But, here are the issues at hand so I in the future, and you in the present can analyze these as they present themselves:
There are a few similarities to past personal experiences...some of which I've mentioned on this blog, others I haven't gotten to yet.
The training seemed poorly prepared and inadequately informed. The topics covered were either too brusk and assumptive, even on extremely technical aspects or slowed to a Down's Syndrome pace for intuitive concepts....shades of the cruise booking company posted about just 2 months ago.
The unit of the company in which I am employed is domined by women. (Not very unusual for customer service). And so far, EVERY, not just some, but EVERY supervisor I have met or been made aware of that will be over me (other than the CEO) is a woman. My history with women supervisors is less than desirable. I'm not being sexist...as a gay man I like to see the traditional "all boys club" barriers challenged and bested...but only if deserved. (Warning: Soapbox opinions follow regarding fair employment policies and the "PC"/ "minority-sensitive" environment of the modern workplace) In my experience, women are poorly qualified for management. This opinion is based on years of personal observation in a myriad of occupational fields and capacities. But, to be fair, I feel us fags also make poor managers (though not as bad as women). Here's why:
1) Too emotional: Every decision, small and large has roots in how the woman feels about the situation and the persons involved. Not always best in management.
2) Too ready to fly "off the cuff": Again, most likely as a result of the emotion involved, a woman manager is more likely to "jump to conclusions"...good or bad. Example: Already in this job I've seen our management level female trainer bark at and public humiliate and chastise a subordinate (Which in this case happened to be a male...but in my experience, they can be this way as readily with "their own", though with some it may be, subconsciously or consciously a "reverse-sexism" issue)
3) Indecisive...ummm, really!...To the point of virtually manic-depressive, bi-polar opposite positions on issues in seemingly illogical timespans: Okay, everyone has a change of heart, rethinks a decision and decides to change it. But women in management seem to be prone to not just a re-evaluation and minor revision of previous ideas, but entire destruction of a policy and reconstruction in an exactly opposite direction...with minutes notice. Reminds one of the mid-announcement changes in political and military allegiances in the Orwell novel "1984".
4) Dishonesty is the best policy: They are liars. They waddle around with their wide asses and expect you to open doors for them and offer seats to them if none are available. It is the "gentlemanly" thing to do after all. But if they for what ever reason have it in for you. They will sound so convincing to even the most skeptical listener that they were maligned by you. You, as a man, are immediately placed in a defensive role, simply because of the perceptions of male/female roles, regardless of position.
BTW, the woman=boss/me=subordinate BAD experiences are as follows:
HoJo's/Terry...1983
Taunton Sporting Goods Store/Adele...1986
BVC/Linda and Leslie...1987
Cranston Center/Lynn...1988
Amego/Karen...1989-90
Northern RIARC/Chris...1991-92
Northern RIARC/Jen...1993
SHIP/co-workers Kim, Latarsha(yes, the same HR rep mentioned in a previous post, but we came to an understanding over the years), Daphne, and Lynn...2000-02
iCare/Sue...2004
PMA/Glenda...2004
CNM/(Carol) Tiffany...2006
This listing is not meant to minimize the issues I've had with male bosses over the years...because I have and in some cases may have been more problematic than female boss cases...but the above highlight the aspects of female management styles I have referenced in the above itemization. And, in some cases, then some.
Hopefully things will work out well for this female dominated environment I'm in this time.
One can only hope.