We Are Married

I was a boss for five years in a small unit which consisted about 20 staff at a time. I started as a novice and was never provided any training whether in administrations, operations or leadership. My predecessor chose me and she passed over to me without any proper written note. Then, I received a letter and started the work. I always think about this today; how I had to learn everything myself. I decided I was not going to do that to my successor. I spent about one month to complete my task list to pass over to the next boss. I started early because I knew that most of the tasks are done monthly and I wanted to make sure I did not miss anything. A smooth transition is, after all, important as it ensures the continuity of a unit's operations.  But, as I completed my list, I realized that there are things that you cannot really pass over. The intangibilities, such as, your way of thinking and problem-solving, the work culture you cultivated within the unit and your leadership, are ...

I was slacking last month due to emotional and personal reasons; I really wanted to get out of my current workplace and I knew that this month will be hell to go through. So, I let myself dwell in the misery of wondering what hell the month would be. The result was I slacked in the workplace for one whole month. The upside? My subordinates were happy because I was not my usual disciplined self. Yeay for them. Then, July came and it did bring with it the hell that I predicted. And some. Thankfully, I read this in Harvard Business Review's Instagram page  which was adapted from “Emotional Agility,” by Susan David and Christina Congleton : Leaders stumble not because they have undesirable thoughts and feelings - that's inevitable - but because they get hooked by them like fish caught in a line .   I realized that I was being emotionally rigid - I did not allow my emotions to change in order to adapt to the situation I faced. I dwelled on my negative thoughts and emotions because...

This morning as I was leaving for work, I overheard my elder daughter asked Dearest, "Don't you have school holidays?". As I closed the house door, I thought, I WISH we have one, too, dear. Being children of parents who do not have a traditional 8 to 5 with weekends off work schedule, my children usually are not bothered about holidays and weekends. But, as the elder one entered primary school, I think she has developed an understanding about a typical week schedule. She must have found it weird when she had to explain to her friends that she spent the weekend at her grandparents' house because her parents were working. Also, how both she and her brother had to stay at daycare until 9pm some nights because both of her parents were working a PM shift.  I do think about the impact that this disorganised daily / weekly schedule has on my children. I recently read Angela Duckworth's Grit  and...it is not entering my favourite books list. This is mainly because her wri...