Post for April 23, 2010
I received a call from the U.S. Census Bureau office in Elgin, IL, late in the afternoon of April 22, 2010, inviting me to help assemble materials for training scheduled next week for enumerators participating in the No Response Follow Up (NRFU) phase of Census 2010.
They needed help from Midnight to 8:30AM (an 8-hour shift with a mandatory 30-minute lunch) on Friday, April 23, 2010. I have had lots of experience with 24-hour shift work and working the night shift. From that experience, I know that it is not my best time to work. At the same time, as a professional trainer, I know how time-consuming it is to prepare training materials and how important it is to have the materials ready in time for the training. I agreed to come in at Midnight and arrived at the office in Elgin at midnight Friday morning (12:00AM).
Several members of the team I worked with during the Group Quarter Enumeration phase of Census 2010 had also volunteered to work the night shift. Some were working on computers, printing the final materials for the training binders. Others of us were working to assemble the map packets which will be provided to enumerators.
These map packets are divided into geographic areas assigned to Crew Leader Districts within a state and county area and are intended to allow enumerators to find the exact location of the places they are scheduled to visit. All of the details are confidential and there are lots and lots of Crew Leader Districts and maps to assemble. (A good GPS system will be lots more helpful than these maps, for enumerators who have the "high tech" capability.)
We worked throughout the night on assembling the map packets needed for the training and for the next phase of Census 2010. We took our mandatory lunch break at 4:00AM and went to a nearby Burger King with 24-hour drive-through Thursday through Saturday.
While the work was productive and I made a contribution to preparing the training materials for next week, I declined the invitation to come back from Midnight to 8:30AM on Saturday, April 24th. I knew that two days in a row of the night shift could have a significant impact on my health and readiness to do productive work during the day.
When I returned home about 9:30AM on April 23rd, I attempted to go to sleep. I used a blind fold (left over from air travel) to make the room dark. While I rested, I did not sleep well. I also didn't have the energy to get up and do my normal routines. I went to bed at my normal time Friday night and woke-up at a normal time on Saturday, April 24th. While I still fill a little "draggy," I am almost back to normal.
My experience of the night shift confirms my feelings posted earlier. While people can be productive on this shift and while certain jobs or situations may require the night shift from time to time, it is very hard to accommodate these hours in a "normal" sleep schedule. It also takes some time to recover from taking the time to work a night shift.
Showing posts with label experience. Show all posts
Showing posts with label experience. Show all posts
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Monday, December 28, 2009
Learning from Experience and History--Finding Patterns that Work
Speaking with a friend the other day, I shared some meta-models that identify patterns at work. By being aware of these patterns of behavior, positive changes can be made to improve processes, workflow, and results of organizations. Two of these meta-models are the Team Tracking Tool (Slide 12) and the Shame Affect Decision Model (Slide 2).
These models capture processes at work that allow for the identification of what works and what may be missing or improved at work. They were developed by observing hundreds of hours of interactions and have proved reliable over time. In the course of our conversation it became clear that sometimes leaders in the workplace do not want to be made aware of these processes or be responsible for being able to make decisions to change what they are doing at work.
The idea of learning from experience and history are the essential ideas in my post from yesterday concerning animal spirits and the economy. The concept is also reflected in Dan Brown's two books, Angels and Demons and The DaVinci Code. I saw another example in a documentary today Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.
The challenge is to reflect on our experience and on history and to learn from these reflections. Models of processes can help in this process and, if leaders are not willing to engage in the reflection and learning process, they miss opportunities to improve and change. These opportunities may have a small window of opportunity as the economy and world events change around them.
These models capture processes at work that allow for the identification of what works and what may be missing or improved at work. They were developed by observing hundreds of hours of interactions and have proved reliable over time. In the course of our conversation it became clear that sometimes leaders in the workplace do not want to be made aware of these processes or be responsible for being able to make decisions to change what they are doing at work.
The idea of learning from experience and history are the essential ideas in my post from yesterday concerning animal spirits and the economy. The concept is also reflected in Dan Brown's two books, Angels and Demons and The DaVinci Code. I saw another example in a documentary today Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.
The challenge is to reflect on our experience and on history and to learn from these reflections. Models of processes can help in this process and, if leaders are not willing to engage in the reflection and learning process, they miss opportunities to improve and change. These opportunities may have a small window of opportunity as the economy and world events change around them.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Developing Professional Competence for the 21st Century--Consultants, Doctors, Lawyers, Teachers, Pizza Chefs
"For a boy with a shinny new hammer, all the world looks like a nail." "If we have only one tool in our toolkit, while we may find creative new applications for that tool, we won't be able to do what we could if we had more appropriate tools for the requirements of the job."
In the early days of America, shortly before the Revolutionary war of 1776, many jobs were based on the master-apprentice model prevalent in Europe. A boy would be apprenticed to a trade. The owner would be a "master" craftsman and there would be other stages including journeyman and down to the level of apprentice. Variations on this model still exist today, including a popular concept of an "internship."
One of the purposes of such a model for acquiring professional skill over time was to have a wide variety of work experience allowing the learner to develop a repetoire of skills and tools with which to approach the professional challenges the learner would experience. The apprenticeship model also allowed people to move through the personal performance change curve (see slide 8).
In sales, many people rely on scripts developed to allow more junior sales personnell to cover key aspects of a sales transaction. When someone is obvious in using a script when trying to make a sale, the person who may be buying may be put off by the script. On the other hand, in professional management training, checklists are often used to make sure that managers follow the key steps in managing the appropriate interaction. While some employees may not like that their manager follows a script, others have claimed in the past, "Please follow the checklist. You are a much better manager now that you have one to follow."
That could be true for sales people and sales scripts as well.
Consultants, doctors, lawyers, teachers, pizza chefs, and many other professionals are expected to develop by practicing over time and by becoming reflective practitioners (learning by reflecting on their experience and improving their performance and outcomes).
Often someone comes up with a good idea that everyone likes and trys to implement. Peter Senge and the Fifth Discipline had a major impact on the consulting world. Malcolm Gladwell (The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers) and Michael Gerber (eMyth Revisited) are both popular authors whose books have inspired many consultants and many follow-up ideas. Eliyahu Goldratt (The Goal, Critical Chain) has developed a series of books and concepts and teaches consultants to work with a Process of Ongoing Improvement ("Poogi").
Professional consultants can benefit from all of these authors and need to integrate relevant tools into their professional toolkits so that they can bring out the most appropriate tool for the situation in which they find themselves.
A problem with consulting firms with massive teams of consultants is that most of the consultants were university trained and focus on relatively low-complexity tasks. The firm brings a wide variety of resources with multiple consultants with varying seniority to meet the challenges of their clients.
When someone works with a smaller consulting firm, the consultant needs to be more flexible, with a solid background of expertise and a network of professional contacts who can be called on to supplement the consultant's skills and tools as needed.
LinkedIn is a good social network for consultants to connect with peers. Sometimes consultants with websites provide links to others in their personal network and sometimes contracts are written so that networked consultants can be brought-in on appropriate pieces of client work.
These ideas are all part of evolving the concept of developing professional competence in the 21st Century.
In the early days of America, shortly before the Revolutionary war of 1776, many jobs were based on the master-apprentice model prevalent in Europe. A boy would be apprenticed to a trade. The owner would be a "master" craftsman and there would be other stages including journeyman and down to the level of apprentice. Variations on this model still exist today, including a popular concept of an "internship."
One of the purposes of such a model for acquiring professional skill over time was to have a wide variety of work experience allowing the learner to develop a repetoire of skills and tools with which to approach the professional challenges the learner would experience. The apprenticeship model also allowed people to move through the personal performance change curve (see slide 8).
In sales, many people rely on scripts developed to allow more junior sales personnell to cover key aspects of a sales transaction. When someone is obvious in using a script when trying to make a sale, the person who may be buying may be put off by the script. On the other hand, in professional management training, checklists are often used to make sure that managers follow the key steps in managing the appropriate interaction. While some employees may not like that their manager follows a script, others have claimed in the past, "Please follow the checklist. You are a much better manager now that you have one to follow."
That could be true for sales people and sales scripts as well.
Consultants, doctors, lawyers, teachers, pizza chefs, and many other professionals are expected to develop by practicing over time and by becoming reflective practitioners (learning by reflecting on their experience and improving their performance and outcomes).
Often someone comes up with a good idea that everyone likes and trys to implement. Peter Senge and the Fifth Discipline had a major impact on the consulting world. Malcolm Gladwell (The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers) and Michael Gerber (eMyth Revisited) are both popular authors whose books have inspired many consultants and many follow-up ideas. Eliyahu Goldratt (The Goal, Critical Chain) has developed a series of books and concepts and teaches consultants to work with a Process of Ongoing Improvement ("Poogi").
Professional consultants can benefit from all of these authors and need to integrate relevant tools into their professional toolkits so that they can bring out the most appropriate tool for the situation in which they find themselves.
A problem with consulting firms with massive teams of consultants is that most of the consultants were university trained and focus on relatively low-complexity tasks. The firm brings a wide variety of resources with multiple consultants with varying seniority to meet the challenges of their clients.
When someone works with a smaller consulting firm, the consultant needs to be more flexible, with a solid background of expertise and a network of professional contacts who can be called on to supplement the consultant's skills and tools as needed.
LinkedIn is a good social network for consultants to connect with peers. Sometimes consultants with websites provide links to others in their personal network and sometimes contracts are written so that networked consultants can be brought-in on appropriate pieces of client work.
These ideas are all part of evolving the concept of developing professional competence in the 21st Century.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Leveraging Trust and Making New Connections
Between 1993 and 1998 I worked at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture). In that time I met many wonderful people associated with "the firm." One of the things that impressed me was the hiring practice used by the firm. They always found top-quality people, most of whom were very trustworthy and had a terrific work ethic. (Of course everyone is human and we have to learn to trust everyone we work with and this firm got us off to a good start.)
In fact, many of the consultants at Andersen Consulting/Accenture ended up marrying each other. The "joke" was that HR (human resources) had already qualified the people and now they just had to fall in love. The other "truth" was that, as an Andersen Consulting/Accenture employee, both partners realized how much work and how many working hours were involved on the job. They had some shared experience to relate to.
Part of the time when I was working at Andersen Consulting Education (ACE) in St. Charles, IL (where Andersen Consulting and Arthur Andersen and Andersen Worldwide had their corporate training center--now called the Q-Center), I had a chance to work with many multinational consultants in the USA, in Europe, in Australia, and in Asia. I valued those contacts, though I have lost track of them in the years since I left the firm and went on to other consulting.
Now I need some trustworthy contacts in Europe and Asia. It occured to me that a very good place to start was with the LinkedIn alumni groups associated with Andersen Consulting/Accenture. What worked for the people getting married may work for me in terms of finding people I can work with on new ideas for Europe, the USA, and Asia.
I've posted a discussion starter in one of the alumni groups, so now I get to see who may be interested in at least discussing what I am looking for.
In fact, many of the consultants at Andersen Consulting/Accenture ended up marrying each other. The "joke" was that HR (human resources) had already qualified the people and now they just had to fall in love. The other "truth" was that, as an Andersen Consulting/Accenture employee, both partners realized how much work and how many working hours were involved on the job. They had some shared experience to relate to.
Part of the time when I was working at Andersen Consulting Education (ACE) in St. Charles, IL (where Andersen Consulting and Arthur Andersen and Andersen Worldwide had their corporate training center--now called the Q-Center), I had a chance to work with many multinational consultants in the USA, in Europe, in Australia, and in Asia. I valued those contacts, though I have lost track of them in the years since I left the firm and went on to other consulting.
Now I need some trustworthy contacts in Europe and Asia. It occured to me that a very good place to start was with the LinkedIn alumni groups associated with Andersen Consulting/Accenture. What worked for the people getting married may work for me in terms of finding people I can work with on new ideas for Europe, the USA, and Asia.
I've posted a discussion starter in one of the alumni groups, so now I get to see who may be interested in at least discussing what I am looking for.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Building on our Past--the Value of Experience
We never know when an opportunity will come forward that our previous experience may be just right for.
Today I came across a business opportunity that was tied directly to my first career, a 10-year career in the U.S. Army. After I left the Army, while I used the skills and experience gained in that career, I haven't been working in the same areas as I did then.
The business opportunity I came across today was directly linked to this Army experience. That seems almost amazing.
It is important to remember (and to document) experience because, among other things, we never know when we may need to refer to that experience in the future. By having the necessary documentation at my fingertips, I was able to take advantage of the business opportunity in ways I would never have been able to do without that background and documentation.
For a sample, read the stories on my website about some interesting experiences.
Amazing, isn't it?
Today I came across a business opportunity that was tied directly to my first career, a 10-year career in the U.S. Army. After I left the Army, while I used the skills and experience gained in that career, I haven't been working in the same areas as I did then.
The business opportunity I came across today was directly linked to this Army experience. That seems almost amazing.
It is important to remember (and to document) experience because, among other things, we never know when we may need to refer to that experience in the future. By having the necessary documentation at my fingertips, I was able to take advantage of the business opportunity in ways I would never have been able to do without that background and documentation.
For a sample, read the stories on my website about some interesting experiences.
Amazing, isn't it?
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Perspective--One of the Values of Experience
Perspective, in the context of wisdom, can come from having multiple and varied experiences and learning from them. One of the values to be gained from experience is the perspective one develops over time. Some people seem to have the same experience repeated for many years. Others have multiple experiences throughout the same number of years.
When someone faces a challenge, finding someone who can share some perspective on the situation can be invaluable. This is one of the benefits of working with a "wisdom model" (see an earlier post).
Peter Senge, in his work with the Fifth Discipline, refers to "systems thinking." One way to look at systems thinking is to imagine a pebble in a pond and at all the things the ripples will touch. What connects to what other thing? Many times the changes being considered in response to a perceived challenge will produce consequences. Part of systems thinking is to explore the potential consequences and to refine the decision to minimize negative consequences. This is another of the benefits perspective can bring to a situation.
How do we find someone with that perspective and wisdom. A first thing to do is to look for him or her.
When someone faces a challenge, finding someone who can share some perspective on the situation can be invaluable. This is one of the benefits of working with a "wisdom model" (see an earlier post).
Peter Senge, in his work with the Fifth Discipline, refers to "systems thinking." One way to look at systems thinking is to imagine a pebble in a pond and at all the things the ripples will touch. What connects to what other thing? Many times the changes being considered in response to a perceived challenge will produce consequences. Part of systems thinking is to explore the potential consequences and to refine the decision to minimize negative consequences. This is another of the benefits perspective can bring to a situation.
How do we find someone with that perspective and wisdom. A first thing to do is to look for him or her.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Careers in the 24th Century--Support Tools and Reality Checks
In this 21st Century, research has indicated that people can expect to change careers 12 times and have many more jobs. Some of the same literature talks about the fact that jobs have not even been thought of yet while thousands are finishing bachelors and masters degrees to prepare them for jobs that are already obsolete. Shift Happens 2008 (Did You Know 2?) is an eye-opening sequel to Shift Happens (Did You Know) first released in 2007.
Not only are traditional job search and recruiting tools obsolete, so, too are many of the career preparation tools. One tool that I found useful in working with students in middle and high school is http://www.careercruising.com/. If you are interested to see what I did with it, visit the Footprints Project page of my wiki space for middle schools.
I completed the career skills questionnaire my students would be expected to complete (117 career-skill-related questions) and Career Cruising came up with a list of 40 careers (jobs) my choices matched to. I was doing this to test the validity of the software as a tool and was impressed that, of the 40 choices, in the course of my career I have worked in 14 of the jobs listed--and still I have always done the same thing (in a wide variety of ways).
What I do--I make a positive difference in the world by helping individuals and organizations learn to change to improve their quality of (business) life now and for the future.
It's amazing to me that I've done that in 14 jobs already, and sometimes more than once in any given job. What's even more amazing is that I haven't had more employers in the course of 40+ years of working.
Reality Check: The order of careers was based on my preferences and I was amazed by how my experience in these careers was reflected in the questionnaire.
Change is Upon Us
When I went back to graduate school in 1985, I wanted to get a doctorate that would let me work with adults and organizations who needed to learn how to change. My doctorate (which I completed in 1992) did prepare me to help adults and organizations learn to change and my post-doctoral Master of Arts in Teaching (completed in 2008) prepared me to extend this service to children as well.
I invested about $200,000 in my doctorate degree in terms of tuition, books, and loss of income while a full-time students. Much of what I learned was timeless. I know this because in my dissertation research I tracked the origins of reflection on learning concepts to the time of Confucius--about 300BC. (For a full-text copy of the dissertation [ATT9229831] visit this link.)
Since earning my doctorate, I have worked with thousands of people and more than 60 organizations in helping each learn how to improve their quality of life. My investment was worth every penny.
My goal now is to find ways to share what I do with more people. Can you help? If so, contact me through my Wiki Project page.
Not only are traditional job search and recruiting tools obsolete, so, too are many of the career preparation tools. One tool that I found useful in working with students in middle and high school is http://www.careercruising.com/. If you are interested to see what I did with it, visit the Footprints Project page of my wiki space for middle schools.
I completed the career skills questionnaire my students would be expected to complete (117 career-skill-related questions) and Career Cruising came up with a list of 40 careers (jobs) my choices matched to. I was doing this to test the validity of the software as a tool and was impressed that, of the 40 choices, in the course of my career I have worked in 14 of the jobs listed--and still I have always done the same thing (in a wide variety of ways).
What I do--I make a positive difference in the world by helping individuals and organizations learn to change to improve their quality of (business) life now and for the future.
It's amazing to me that I've done that in 14 jobs already, and sometimes more than once in any given job. What's even more amazing is that I haven't had more employers in the course of 40+ years of working.
Reality Check: The order of careers was based on my preferences and I was amazed by how my experience in these careers was reflected in the questionnaire.
Change is Upon Us
When I went back to graduate school in 1985, I wanted to get a doctorate that would let me work with adults and organizations who needed to learn how to change. My doctorate (which I completed in 1992) did prepare me to help adults and organizations learn to change and my post-doctoral Master of Arts in Teaching (completed in 2008) prepared me to extend this service to children as well.
I invested about $200,000 in my doctorate degree in terms of tuition, books, and loss of income while a full-time students. Much of what I learned was timeless. I know this because in my dissertation research I tracked the origins of reflection on learning concepts to the time of Confucius--about 300BC. (For a full-text copy of the dissertation [ATT9229831] visit this link.)
Since earning my doctorate, I have worked with thousands of people and more than 60 organizations in helping each learn how to improve their quality of life. My investment was worth every penny.
My goal now is to find ways to share what I do with more people. Can you help? If so, contact me through my Wiki Project page.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
What have you done lately?--Common Practice vs. Common Sense
“What have you done lately?” --a question asked of me on Wednesday, August 12th. 2009.
Lately I've done what I have been doing throughout my 40+ year career, helping people and organizations learn to change to improve their quality of (business) life now and for the future. I incorporate research-based best practices, years of wisdom and experience with more than 100 organizations and thousands of individuals around the world, what I have learned over the years--including earning a doctorate and two masters degrees--and applying all of that in practical, step-by-step approaches that can be learned by children and adults.
A better question could be--who have you done this for lately? In the summer of 2009, my answer would be based on the different roles I have played.
As an educator--Since 9-11-2001, I have been working with English language learners (ELLs) in K-12 school systems in Illinois, helping them learn both academic skills and how to work and learn using English. In that time I have developed innovative techniques in helping students and adults to learn to read better by using audiobooks.
As a consultant--I have begun working on a project to do community needs analyses for chambers of commerce dealing with the workplace learning needs for their members. The process involves developing a survey, sharing it with the membership, and analyzing the results--offering the results to local school systems who can help fill the learning gaps identified in the surveys. The Chambers of Commerce take the credit for the survey with their members. The outcomes help build community resources and economic development.
As a researcher and author--I have recently published 13 research-based working papers in the Education Research Information Clearinghouse (ERIC) focused on various intervention strategies to improve learning for English language learners.
As a reflective practitioner--I have engaged in the process of reflecting on what I do so that I can reach more people who need to learn how to change and have been implementing a variety of communication vehicles on the Internet that will allow more people to work with what I offer to help the people and organizations they work with.
(By the way, to see what I'm doing currently, visit my Projects Wiki space using the link above. I have a well-started pilot project and may need more participants, if you are interested.)
Lately I've done what I have been doing throughout my 40+ year career, helping people and organizations learn to change to improve their quality of (business) life now and for the future. I incorporate research-based best practices, years of wisdom and experience with more than 100 organizations and thousands of individuals around the world, what I have learned over the years--including earning a doctorate and two masters degrees--and applying all of that in practical, step-by-step approaches that can be learned by children and adults.
A better question could be--who have you done this for lately? In the summer of 2009, my answer would be based on the different roles I have played.
As an educator--Since 9-11-2001, I have been working with English language learners (ELLs) in K-12 school systems in Illinois, helping them learn both academic skills and how to work and learn using English. In that time I have developed innovative techniques in helping students and adults to learn to read better by using audiobooks.
As a consultant--I have begun working on a project to do community needs analyses for chambers of commerce dealing with the workplace learning needs for their members. The process involves developing a survey, sharing it with the membership, and analyzing the results--offering the results to local school systems who can help fill the learning gaps identified in the surveys. The Chambers of Commerce take the credit for the survey with their members. The outcomes help build community resources and economic development.
As a researcher and author--I have recently published 13 research-based working papers in the Education Research Information Clearinghouse (ERIC) focused on various intervention strategies to improve learning for English language learners.
As a reflective practitioner--I have engaged in the process of reflecting on what I do so that I can reach more people who need to learn how to change and have been implementing a variety of communication vehicles on the Internet that will allow more people to work with what I offer to help the people and organizations they work with.
(By the way, to see what I'm doing currently, visit my Projects Wiki space using the link above. I have a well-started pilot project and may need more participants, if you are interested.)
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