Buaya69's day 138 into new job

This coming Tuesday is Day 138 of my employment with this organisation and for much of the last 100 days, it has been a "hell of a ride" for this ol'buaya! Henceforth, I will refer my organisation as the "Themepark", heh!

Come to think of it, Themepark really suits my organisation. Almost everyone is customer-facing but doing it behind a mask, the Themepark's mask. Everyone is busy doing something, everything is urgent like now now now! And there are always plans for a better customer experience but constraint by so many things that it really boggles the mind that my colleagues have managed to bring the Themepark this far! Amazing people, really.

Anyway, it has been an eye-opener for me. For a very long time I have not broken my limits and moved out of my comfort zone. My boss really pushed me to the limits, and more than once I felt like strangling him with my own hands, but this was my choice and I have to take whatever comes my way - No Pain, No Gain! Yeah, right.... :P

Today, I want to blog something "management" but really, it's about myself, in between the lines lar. Today, I want to write about "Buaya69 Guidelines for Building Relationships and Image in 100 days"... wow, sometimes I amaze even myself with my own bull, heh!

(A) It's easy when you know where you are
Almost into Day 2, I found out that my position came with a lot of negative historical baggage. In short, people disliked me by virtue of my position, and it really sucks! Ok, that was easy. Now, to find out why and I did it the old fashion way. I asked.

(B) It's easy when you know where you want to go
Once I have established the reasons, I sat down to think of my career and responsibilities at the Themepark. I would be lying if I say I didn't think of resigning. I sort of visualised my destination by end of Year 2 and the pitstops I needed to make along the journey, whom I would like to meet and make friends/allies with and whom I want to avoid as my nemesis, if possible.

Having said that, one will have more than one enemy in any workplace. Sometimes it can't be helped. It could be your overpowering cologne, your smelly fart or loud burp. The critical issue here is to know who regards YOU as their enemy. It sucks big time when you have to utter "You too Brutus?", hence know who regards you as enemy. It was easy for me because of (A) above, sigh...

(C) It's easy when you know what the puppeteers want
Yes, we are all puppets but as puppets, we can also refuse to follow the line and do our own dance routine. If we chose to do that, then we must live with the consequences and there can only be 2 outcomes. Either the puppeteer is overjoyed with your dance or he's hellbend on destroying you, the evil puppet with a mind of its own. Yes, you, the evil puppet, fit as tinder in the clay furnace. Therefore, before you do your own dance routine, it helps to know what the puppeteer or puppeteers, as in my case, wants, then give it to them. Sales people normally do such analysis about their clients, so why not us?

(D) It's easy when you can handle "NO" effectively
This is a simple truth. We will experience more "NO" than "YES" in the course of our work. But this truth is usually lost to many people. They get worked up, hyperventilate, do a voodoo doll curse, or worse, go home and fling the poor cat by its tail. I love cats. Ever wonder why we'll get more "NO" than "YES"? The truth is, not many people will dare to say "YES" mainly due to lack of power/authority/influence or for the simple fact that they just don't have the balls to say it, hence they say "NO" or worse, warble something incoherent which is neither yes nor no. You will realise very quickly that there aren't many good decision makers in any organisation, and that fact could be an opportunity or a threat to your career, depending on how you perceive it ;)

(E) It's easy when you don't make life difficult for people
I have met many people who will shout into your ears "This is my RIGHT so I will do ANYTHING to get it, ptui!". It's quite easy to spot these people. They are usually voiceful of their thoughts and will not listen to any other because they think that they are right and will go to great logical lengths to proof that they are right. I label them as selfish arrogants. Selfish, because they don't think of others but themselves. In the course of our work, do always check whether we become such selfish arrogant bastards. It's no surprise then if people close their doors on you. So who will open their doors to me? Only if I bring value to them and to begin with, do not make worklife more difficult than it is for them. Easy right? So, what's your value proposition?

OK, I think that's enough bull. I have 50 days to my 180 days milestone, yup, my confirmation day. Time to strap up for another month of rollercoaster ride, wheeeeee!!!

Buaya69 asks,"I wonder when I can take the Tunnel of Love ride...." :P