I know a great many high school students who play on sports teams. Half of them have dreams of going to the Pros, whether it be the NHL or NFL, NBA or into MLB. They have all heard stories of high school students getting "full rides" to Division I colleges or being drafted into the Pros right out of high school. Yes, that does happen sometimes, but the chances of making it to the majors are 1 in 50,000. Walter Leavy wrote an insightful article for Ebony magazine back in 1998 about his own personal experience with trying to make it to the Pros. It's a short article, well worth reading.
I was at my local Starbucks the other morning, waiting for my appointment to show up, when I picked up the local newspaper, The Palo Alto Daily News and read a very interesting story by one of their columnists, Jason Katz. The article answers the question about full ride scholarships.
Always a good idea to have a Plan B ;-)
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Trouble with a Co-Worker
My sister called me the other day asking for advice on how to deal with a "problem" co-worker. Here's the deal.
Here are the names of the players in his little saga:
My sister = Patty
Co-worker = Mel
Other co-worker = Martin
Patty is a web designer for a large software application company. She designs the pages that you see on their website. This company probably has about 80 web designers/developers, so she is responsible only for a small portion of the website. Mel is the Project Manager and is responsible for checking in all of Patty's work and making sure it is ready to be rolled out on the company's website. Mel is also responsible for making sure that everyone else's part fits together nicely in one big package and that no part breaks another part.
Mel doesn't really do his job and so, leaves it to others to make sure the product is complete and works well. This affects Patty as she then has to do HER job as well as MEL'S job to make sure the product is ready to go out onto the website.
Mel goes on vacation for 2 weeks and leaves Martin in charge of his work. Patty likes working with Martin because Martin takes pride in his work and makes sure it gets done. It also means that Patty doesn't have to do 2 jobs; just her own job.
Patty remarks to Martin that she enjoys working with him and he is very good at his job. Martin reads between the lines and knows that Patty doesn't like working with Mel. Martin tells Patty that she is not the only one who does not enjoy working with Mel because he has sloppy work habits and makes more work for others.
Patty calls me to complain and asks what she can do about this situation because she's tired of doing Mel's job as well as her own. It takes time away from her family and she sure as hell isn't getting paid to do Mel's job!
Oh, and here's one more little caveat. Patty's boss is a friend of Mel's. OK....that makes this a little bit stickier. But here's what I tell her to do.
After Mel has allegedly signed off on your work, check it over. If he hasn't really checked it over and there are issues, send it back to him with an email, pointing out the areas he needs to make adjustments to. Don't make the email accusatory but, rather, just point out the errors and ask him if he can recheck this.
If it happens again, then have a private conversation with him and clarify each of your roles. Maybe make note that you both have a lot on your plate and it's important for you to work as a team and be able to count on each other to complete the project.
If things don't change then you need to address this with your boss. Let him know that you have spoken to Mel but it hasn't made any difference and it is adversely affecting your time management in getting your other projects completed.
Patty's manager may be friends with Mel but if he is a professional, he will handle it in a professional manner and speak to Mel. If that doesn't happen and there is no positive change in Mel's work ethic, then Patty needs to go to her boss's boss and ask that he/she intervene.
No one likes confrontation. In fact, most people think confrontation means to fight. It doesn't. It only means to deal with the situation. When Patty first confronts Mel, she should do so in a matter-of-fact way, stating her needs and how they aren't being met. Secondly, it's important to go through the chain of command. Even though Patty's boss is a friend of Mel's, Patty should give her boss the opportunity to handle the problem. She should only go to her boss's boss if he doesn't make things right.
Try not to make things personal at work. It's important to keep things professional, not point fingers, and just state your needs. Sometimes people don't realize they're screwing up and they appreciate you taking the time to bring things to their attention. They may be a little mad or embarrassed but if you handle work relationships in this manner, you will get a reputation as being a straight shooter -- and people respect that in others.
Here are the names of the players in his little saga:
My sister = Patty
Co-worker = Mel
Other co-worker = Martin
Patty is a web designer for a large software application company. She designs the pages that you see on their website. This company probably has about 80 web designers/developers, so she is responsible only for a small portion of the website. Mel is the Project Manager and is responsible for checking in all of Patty's work and making sure it is ready to be rolled out on the company's website. Mel is also responsible for making sure that everyone else's part fits together nicely in one big package and that no part breaks another part.
Mel doesn't really do his job and so, leaves it to others to make sure the product is complete and works well. This affects Patty as she then has to do HER job as well as MEL'S job to make sure the product is ready to go out onto the website.
Mel goes on vacation for 2 weeks and leaves Martin in charge of his work. Patty likes working with Martin because Martin takes pride in his work and makes sure it gets done. It also means that Patty doesn't have to do 2 jobs; just her own job.
Patty remarks to Martin that she enjoys working with him and he is very good at his job. Martin reads between the lines and knows that Patty doesn't like working with Mel. Martin tells Patty that she is not the only one who does not enjoy working with Mel because he has sloppy work habits and makes more work for others.
Patty calls me to complain and asks what she can do about this situation because she's tired of doing Mel's job as well as her own. It takes time away from her family and she sure as hell isn't getting paid to do Mel's job!
Oh, and here's one more little caveat. Patty's boss is a friend of Mel's. OK....that makes this a little bit stickier. But here's what I tell her to do.
After Mel has allegedly signed off on your work, check it over. If he hasn't really checked it over and there are issues, send it back to him with an email, pointing out the areas he needs to make adjustments to. Don't make the email accusatory but, rather, just point out the errors and ask him if he can recheck this.
If it happens again, then have a private conversation with him and clarify each of your roles. Maybe make note that you both have a lot on your plate and it's important for you to work as a team and be able to count on each other to complete the project.
If things don't change then you need to address this with your boss. Let him know that you have spoken to Mel but it hasn't made any difference and it is adversely affecting your time management in getting your other projects completed.
Patty's manager may be friends with Mel but if he is a professional, he will handle it in a professional manner and speak to Mel. If that doesn't happen and there is no positive change in Mel's work ethic, then Patty needs to go to her boss's boss and ask that he/she intervene.
No one likes confrontation. In fact, most people think confrontation means to fight. It doesn't. It only means to deal with the situation. When Patty first confronts Mel, she should do so in a matter-of-fact way, stating her needs and how they aren't being met. Secondly, it's important to go through the chain of command. Even though Patty's boss is a friend of Mel's, Patty should give her boss the opportunity to handle the problem. She should only go to her boss's boss if he doesn't make things right.
Try not to make things personal at work. It's important to keep things professional, not point fingers, and just state your needs. Sometimes people don't realize they're screwing up and they appreciate you taking the time to bring things to their attention. They may be a little mad or embarrassed but if you handle work relationships in this manner, you will get a reputation as being a straight shooter -- and people respect that in others.
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