Monday, September 14, 2009

Of cats, shoe boxes and newspapers.

Can we have new beds please? These are not up to kitty standards!

Firstly thanks to everyone who left kind comments and encouraging words on my last post. I really appreciated them. I've been shooing my black dog away, though things remain trying. I decided to use some of my work skills and apply them to my personal life and so I made a list of everything that was bothering me, what the issue was and then looked at what I could actually change and what I might just have to accept and how I could go about this - a little like a very organised version of the serenity prayer. It helped organise my thoughts and so now I am working on resolving the things on the list. Curiously, the things that I can change are not necessarily the hardest ones to tackle. It's one thing knowing you have to accept something and quite another one actually learning to live with that.

I can see myself in that funny thing you're holding to your face!

Meanwhile life goes on and my kitties are growing up at such a rate! They are now the size of the average adult cat and are just coming up to 6 months old. They are still the pure embodiment of mischief and are into everything. Their personalities get more developed with each passing week and they have started to get very definite habits. It's wonderful watching these two cats develop from little balls of fur into what I hope will be lovely companions.

Watch the birdie? What birdie?

I have been putting together shoe boxes of gifts for Operation Christmas Child and my boys have been "helping me", hence the photo of Max in the shoe box. So far I have put together sixteen shoe boxes and I'm raising funds to do more through work. To do this I run a tuck shop and a trading post for CDs and DVDs where people bring in their old ones and can exchange them for something else for £1.

Very sleepy...

On a different note, I saw a familiar face in one of our national newspapers last week. It wasn't a shock really as I did consent to the interview. The interview was about my MBA and my experience of studying and how it has benefited me in my career and was used as a case study to support and article on MBAs. It's a silly piece of vanity I know, but I was quite pleased with the article and how it looked. I even sounded good to me and it was a good boost to my morale.

I also had the results of my MBTI assessment and my 360 degree feedback at work. This gave me such a boost on one hand and a little bit of a shock on the other. It was great as many ex line managers of mine completed it and had some really nice things to say about me and scored me quite high on many qualities. The shock came as my current line manager scored me very low on most attributes and his assessment was way out of line with colleagues and everyone else.

Best buddies

I discussed this at length with the consultant giving the feedback analysis as he voiced his concerns about the disparity between the scores. From discussion we felt that the culture and the team I am in are holding me back, even suppressing me and not letting me shine. My boss is also new to management (we are his first staff) and it was felt this was a major factor as within the team culture he probably felt he couldn't give high scores. It's a great concern as a report on the same lines will hold me back from promotion so I need to address this with him and explore why his scoring was so much lower than everyone else. The up side - I know it isn't me and that work and the negative energy there is affecting me. I am seriously looking for another job with another team in the organisation. Sometimes, information comes just at the right time, and this time it's helping me address something negative through giving me a positive boost. And just knowing this has made me feel so much better already.

14 comments:

Kathryn said...

:)

I'm all smiles that you are doing better. How wonderful to enjoy your kitties growing up!

Ours are still playful (4-1/2 & 3) but they don't do the same funny things they did when they were younger. They used to love every box, no matter how small. I so wish i'd gotten a pic of Mac trying to climb into a box the size of his head. He was so sure he would fit!

Best wishes & prayers as you work thru issues with employers/managers. I've not words for that - i never cared for the managers i had.

Happy Monday! :)

Nikki - Notes of Life said...

Good luck with work :)

The cats look like they've settled in and are enjoying life with you. They're so cute! :)

Ann (bunnygirl) said...

Good luck with the job. I was in a toxic environment for many years and I've been amazed and grateful at how much I enjoy working now that I'm in a different environment with a very different style of leadership.

It's not you; it's the culture. And in the meantime, they say kitties are good for relieving stress...

Susan Helene Gottfried said...

Wow. Things are on a major upswing for you, my friend. I'm glad to hear it.

Kiss the kitties for me!

bodaat said...

i really really really like your list idea. i love being able to identify what you can and can't control. i guess it must make things feel a bit more managable. really love that idea and will be stealing it from you!

ps - kitty pictures are as always so beautiful. they're very precious. :)

kenju said...

I wish you good luck with the job search; the kitties are getting prettier everyday!

rashbre said...

Glad to hear that things are on the 'up' even if it creates a new challenge. At least you have a view of where you stand now.

As for the kittens! They are now most 'cat-like'. The top picture also really shows off the blue eyes too!

And well done for being in the paper!

Anonymous said...

I'm glad you're still among the blogging, and wish you well with the job. God save us from managers managing stuff.

(Present company excepted, of course.)

:)

Cheers, dear.

Dianne said...

I love the cat's comment about being able to see himself in that thing you hold to your face, that's priceless!!

I'm glad you made the list, and I'm glad you're dealing with the stuff at work

keep on lady

David Edward said...

your kitties are beautiful

David Edward said...

the Blue eues are amazing, I SO want one! waaaa

OldLady Of The Hills said...

How fid I miss this? It sounds like there is a bit of an upswing B-K and that is so good! It sounds like you have taken things into your own hands, as they say, and are looking for ways to make things different and better for you...Those dear dear Kitties must help too...They are so very Beautiful..! And they are growing up fast, aren't they?

Keep on "KEEPING ON"...it's all we can do, I think....! Would love to read that article, my dear. And, the work situation sounds better than it was, even with that one strange evaluation! Good Luck there, my dear Bob-Kat!

Hermione said...

Your kitties are definitely growing up fast! They look absolutely adorable. I am sure they have brought you a lot of love and laughter.

I thought it was ironic that you spoke of work and how horrible it has been for you as of late. My own working environment has been suffocating me for years, and as a result of some encouragement from my sister, I started my own blog to get the toxicity out of my system. Come by and check it out sometime if you wish to commiserate with me, Bobkat. :)

-Marina, Zeus' human pet

Anonymous said...

Just adorable. Those eyes. :)
~S