I haven't thought about what I wanted to write about for todays blog at all if I am honest, the time is 22:30 and I am only just getting round to writing something. I am on day 25 now and the end is in sight, but have I overdone it on the amount of things I have wrote about this month. With how much of a struggle it is to write something lately, I would say so. I had a lie in this morning, well I say lie in but I mean I didn't have to start work till 11 today. But from the moment I walked in, I was bombarded with tasks and problems to sort out. Just another day on my new department then. It not not faze me too much and I think the key is to dealing with most of lifes problems at work and at home is just to relax and not get too stressed out.
The last customer walked out the door at 8:15, we had shut at 8 but I had to help him try to sort out his order. There were many ups and downs throughout the day and by this point I might have been letting the stress get to me a little bit. I stayed on till 9 to get some bits done that need preparing for stock take next week. In hardly any other year I have not really cared about the stores performance on stocktake night. But this time I actually care and this time I want my store to do well and be one of the best in the region. We blew out by a lot of money last year so hopefully this year we will do better!
Today I watched this video after a friend shared it on twitter.
A little background info: Alan Watts is a British-born American philosopher best known for bringing Eastern wisdom into the Western world.
Obviously, as you can see I was inspired to write this blog after watching this video. It also sort of ties in with my previous blog (What shall I do now?) The concept of money not being an issue in life is certainly a strange one to most people. For me, money has always been an issue. I come from a very working class background where money was always short in my house, but we got by on the little money we did have. I got a paper round when I was 13 and suppose I have been in some sort of work ever since. That would make 13 years work experience, wow I feel old! Anyway at school I did well and was offered a place to study A levels at my sixth form but there was just one problem, money...
I didn't go to sixth form but instead joined the army which I had always been fascinated with and if I'm honest seemed like a much more exciting option than doing my A levels anyway. I was earning more money than I have ever seen in my life and training to be a soldier all at 16!. I talk more about this in another blog (War, What is It good for? ). For me at that point in my life I suppose money wasn't much of an issue. All my accommodation expenses etc came out my wage before I even noticed them, I'd bought a car out right and could easily afford the things I wanted to buy. In terms of other jobs the army wage is quite modest but I was doing something I wanted to do without thinking about the money.
Since then I have had jobs I have enjoyed, but It has always been about the money and doing the job as a means to survive and get by. That is part of the reason I eventually came to university and got a degree. But now I seem to have come full circle and find myself asking what would I do if money were no object? Well, I was speaking to a friend last night and we were discussing my future career and she assures me I will be running B&Q one day and I love it more than I want to admit. It is true, I do have huge passion for the company I work for and some great ideas on what it should do to grow in an international marketplace, the only problem is I work in my local store not in head office. Kevin, I know you are only just settling in to your new role as CEO but if by some miracle you are reading this please sort me out a transfer onto your new team.
So for me I suppose the answer to the question is I want to be in a position where I can use my degree and experience to its full potential while helping others. I have a degree in International Business with Philosophy and 13 years work experience in a variety of industries (including my local paper shop!). If anyone reading this knows of any jobs where I could use that potential, then let me know.
What have Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler and Saddam Hussein all got in common? They are all famous dictators I hear you say. Well yes, but the point I want to make is that they all led by using fear. If you were different or spoke out against these people you were duly dealt with. Now unfortunately, there are some world leaders still in place across the world with these sort of ideals but I will save my opinion on them for a different day.
What I am struck by is how similar some peoples management style is in various companies to those leadership styles of Hitler, Mussolini and Hussein. I have friends, and work colleagues who have worked in a variety of jobs. the fact that this type of style still happens in workplaces is shocking. I know of one retail company where a manager would "take you outside" if you had a problem and fights were a regular occurrence. Many more where the words "sack that person or you lose your job" are used far too often. They lead by using fear to oppress their workforce into doing a good job but have no respect from their staff. It is still the case that in many organisations that these people in authority have been at a company for years. Their managers previously have been nasty, on a huge power trip and a little bit lazy so they chose to lead like that but are maybe a little nicer. Well that is where the system is flawed, if you want to get the best out of any staff under your control it is about respect and treating them as your equals. That way people will want to come to work every day and do their best for you and in turn your performance as a manager will also improve because you are getting the best out of staff.
In life I think the best managers I have worked for have been those who lead by example. But it seems in some circles this is frowned upon by other managers. Now, what would you prefer? A person who gets stuck in and helps you with your job etc and does their management stuff as well or somebody who just seems to be sat in an office or standing around telling you what to do, when half the time they could've done something themselves quicker. It is a respect thing too, If you see somebody in charge of you etc working their arse off to make a difference than you will respect them a lot more than if it is you and your colleagues running around while they shout out the orders.
I am inherently English and very proud to be so but the best portrayal of leadership I have seen was Mel Gibson playing William Wallace in Braveheart.
"They may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom!"
I finished university in May and since then I have had plans to start a postgraduate course which fell through and so I find myself here. But where is here exactly? Well throughout my time at university studying I was lucky enough to have a job. For the past 3 years I have worked at my local DIY store, mainly at the weekends until recently. Now I find myself working full time hours there which obviously means more responsibility and more time spent there. I have always tried to do my best at work, especially when it comes to helping the customer. But since I have started full time I have been noticed more in doing a good job at work and appreciated by more colleagues. I have even been chosen along with 6 others to go to a trade show in Lille at the end of this week. But thats for a different blog. At the end of the summer in Malia, I did some soul searching and decided that I want to help people. The problem is I don't know where that is going to take me. I have a degree in International Business & Philosophy with an interest in just about everything. The choice that appealed to me the most at first was to be a teacher and help change the lives of young people. But whilst studying my degree I really liked the HR modules I did and helping people progress their career and development seems also very interesting to me. The dreamer in me wants to change the world, so maybe a job in the Civil Service as a Diplomat is the right step to take? My current job is advertising for an "Aspire" programme to become a trading manager after an intensive 6 month course. I am currently applying for it, because strangely enough I actually enjoy my job. Its different everyday & I get to help people. Most of the people I have worked with over the past few years have made me have more passion for home improvement and our little store. Many graduates I know don't have a job at all so I know I am in a fortunate position to be able to apply for something like this. I am still not changing the world, but I've got the rest of my life to do that, right?
