First Day of School
April 2, 2010
Whoo! Reacclimating to the early morning and long day thing has been … well, rough!
I’m very glad that I started late in the week because the amount of work, meetings, and gaping void of leadership that had to be addressed. My boss isn’t even here for part of this month so I’ve really been operating from a bit of a blind spot, but I’m proud to have smoothly handled three slightly sticky HR problems, taken the staff out for a lunch and rotated so that I had alone time with each of them, and pulled them into an impromptu Q&A session that seemed to release the tension I’d observed over the past two days.
Apparently, they hadn’t been explicitly informed that I was their new boss and supervisor.
Yeah.
That definitely was tension I was feeling in between my meetings.
The absence of the boss during this time will actually work for me as I clearly demonstrate my intention and ability to manage and support them within the organization so that they feel their contributions are not just expected, but their voices are heard and teach them how to speak up in a professional manner.
Meantime, I’m going to work on a weekly menu so that I bring my lunch everyday, and eat dinner in at least 5 times a week; eating out around the workplace seems to run between $10-15 which is way too much for a single daily meal. Simple and healthy recipes are always appreciated!
“Apparently, they hadn’t been explicitly informed that I was their new boss and supervisor.”
Crikey. Enough said.
I wish you were my boss!
Lunches…maybe wraps/burritos, or even nachos with beans and guacamole? Lots of different salads…home made soups? I’m quite a fan of corn fritters spread with hummus/yoghurt – it’s just creamed corn with flour, milk and an egg, basically.
Oy vey. Awkward! Sounds like you handled it very well though.
Lunches…I’m a fan of a plain old sandwich, myself. Ham and cheese, tuna, cucumber and cream cheese – very basic but it works for me!
OOoh congrats on the new job!!! That is brilliant! Have you ever heard of bento? They make lunch fun!
I am not a sandwich person so tend to take falafel, tabbouli, salads, potato salad, cut up fruit & veggies etc!
That is odd that they were not told you’re their new supervisor. Sounds like you’re handling the situation well. I’m sure you know this already ~ tell them what you like about the work they’re doing; people always like to be told that their contribution is appreciated (when it’s deserved that is).
Lunch – keep it simple and concentrate on protein, as carbs make you sleepy in the afternoon.
Dinner – I’m a big fan of crockpot meals when life is busy!
LOL Uh, how do you not tell people they will be getting a new boss?
You are off to a great start, and I think it’s fantastic that you kept your cool in a couple of stressful situations right off the bat.
Lunches: I have a huge feed bag for work. I normally bring grilled chicken (or lean ham when I get sick of chicken) with cut-up raw vegetables, fruit, and nuts. The protein helps keep my blood sugar stable. I also usually bring breakfast, which is oatmeal with dried fruit and a peanut butter sandwich.
@eemusings: To be fair … I can’t just assume I know what was or wasn’t said in my absence. But to be even more fair, it doesn’t matter if the message conveyed never made it to the stage of understanding. I get not accepting it, but not knowing? That’s … a problem.
Ooh hummus would be an awesome snack. Corn fritters I’ve never had before, do you make them at home?
@Rina: As best I could, I don’t know if they were all happy with it but the veterans seemed to be.
The newbies should take their cue from that.
@frugaltrenches: Thank you! I LOVE Bento boxes!! I almost want to reward myself for surviving with a special bento box for lunches.
I do need to incorporate salads to a large degree as I don’t want to carb-snooze during the many meetings I’ll have.
@Jersey Mom: They might have been told but they definitely acted like they didn’t know. So without badmouthing my boss, I’ll act like it doesn’t matter what they were or weren’t told, I’m just going to tell them anything I think they need to know myself.
And yes, you’re totally right about the positive reinforcement, I need to practice that more.
@Shelley: I am very concerned about the carbs situation because I LOVE them, but yes, I have meetings and will fall asleep if I overload.
More proteins and fruit!
And I should make that crockpot lasagna again.. yummm…
@Karen: Hehe.
@FZ: Thanks, they weren’t terrible but they definitely knocked me off my stride for a second.
I like the chicken idea, I probably have to bring some everyday instead of keeping it there, but that’s fine.
Wow-sounds like you handled a very tough first few days like a pro. I can’t believe they didn’t tell people that you would be their supervisor-that seems absurd to me.
As for lunches, one of my faves is to make a big chickpea and lentil salad and eat it all week (if you don’t get bored easily). You rinse two cans of chickpeas, one can of lentils, whatever veggies you like (I usually do two colours of peppers, zuccini or cucumber, red onion), crumble in some feta, whatever herbs you like (I do dill or basil usually) and then an olive oil and red wine vinegar vinaigrette. Filling, healthy, and cheap! I also make big pots of soup and freeze them in single size containers for lunches.
Good luck as your job continues.
@psychsarah: As it turns out, I think it was more that they were in denial than anything but they were acting out just the same.
I might do that salad with couscous, which I like better than lentils. Mmm…