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Highs and lows of your work day


Guest Harold

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Guest Harold

You know, we mostly have fairly interesting jobs otherwise we may not be driving P cars. I thought it might be interesting to have an ongoing sort of blog about what particular highs or lows you experience in a typical day at work. I am sure it would make interesting reading.

For example, I am recruiting a Marketing Manager for our company and today i interviewed two people that on paper were purpose built for the job. I don't think I have ever been so disappointed in interviews as I was after the two meetings, neither understood SEO or Google Ad word campaigns. So it's back to the drawing board for me on that one.

I did have a high, we have been trying to find new premises for our head office in north Sydney and it finally looks like we have found what we want, it only took 4 months.

I also did a dumb thing, I told our GM who is 32 that she is getting fat, actually my words were "your shadow grows no less". I thought that was quite clever. That was an epic fail as my son would say!

So what good bad or indifferent thing happend to you at work today?

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At one of my client sites there is a lot of consultants kicking around. Inevitably my team's work intersects with some other contractors work.

Our main stakeholder asked us to meet with another consultant to 'share' the high points of our work.

Anyway. One if the guys on our team basically exposed that this other consultant had no idea what she was doing by merely asking for clarification of some components of her snazzy PowerPoint presentation. She got really flustered and defensive.

Our client called me afterwards to tell me she rushed upstairs to sulk on one of the execs couches and insisted on being alone.

Haha. What a pro!

(Our client fondly refers to this as 'consultants at twenty paces')

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Hrm - I enjoy the part where i work from home 90% of the time. There are numerous low points, mostly to do with staff and to a lesser extent clients, but the high point always makes the rest bearable.

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Old job.

High.  I made the company 26.73mil EBIT in one year for a total investment of 660k. Not too bad for a few blokes working in a shed following my master plan.

High. The department I ran had made a total of 3.2t of product per year every year since 1988. After looking at the process for 2 months and doing some math I made some changes and spent a small amount of money on equipment. Next year total output was 12.9t with no overtime required and reduced running cost of 150k P/A.      

 

Low. I made the company 26.73mil EBIT in one year for a total investment of 660k, was the highest profit to cost section of the business globally by 250%. Didn’t even get an email saying good job. I did however get my yearly bonus restructured without notice to say I would not be getting my 23k they should be paying me according to my written agreement. Instead I got $890.

 

New Job.

High. Coming into a struggling business in difficult times. As the Op’s manager this to me presents a huge opportunity to make improvements and get the company into a good profit making position in hard times.  When the climate changes we can only get better.

 

Low. I’ve got a large number of employees who can’t see the writing on the wall no matter who clearly I write it. We need to do things better than every other guy on the field as we are not the cheapest. For them failure is ok

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Old job.

High.  I made the company 26.73mil EBIT in one year for a total investment of 660k. Not too bad for a few blokes working in a shed following my master plan.

High. The department I ran had made a total of 3.2t of product per year every year since 1988. After looking at the process for 2 months and doing some math I made some changes and spent a small amount of money on equipment. Next year total output was 12.9t with no overtime required and reduced running cost of 150k P/A.      

 

Low. I made the company 26.73mil EBIT in one year for a total investment of 660k, was the highest profit to cost section of the business globally by 250%. Didn’t even get an email saying good job. I did however get my yearly bonus restructured without notice to say I would not be getting my 23k they should be paying me according to my written agreement. Instead I got $890.

 

New Job.

High. Coming into a struggling business in difficult times. As the Op’s manager this to me presents a huge opportunity to make improvements and get the company into a good profit making position in hard times.  When the climate changes we can only get better.

 

Low. I’ve got a large number of employees who can’t see the writing on the wall no matter who clearly I write it. We need to do things better than every other guy on the field as we are not the cheapest. For them failure is ok

Sounds very familar these days i have resigned from being a part owner of a business in a fantiastic niche market with 2 brothers as they are mostly interested in making a quick buck instead of offering a great service these days

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Guest Harold

Isn't it funny, every day has highs and lows. My high today was coming home early and going for a ride on my new motorbike up to the central coast on the old highway. My low was looking at our projected north Sydney relocation costs and thinking "why don't I just retire". Too much info on reflection.

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Guest Harold

Harold,

If your tax bill is $193K your making a lot of money, but if your short I can sub you at 9%?

You are so kind Greg! Glad you are offering mates rates.
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You are so kind Greg! Glad you are offering mates rates.

I knew I could count on you to appreciate commercial comedy!

My highs at work are watching my staff develop & encouraging them to reach their full potential, helping them where possible then getting out of their way as they leave me behind & make me redundant. My lows are dealing with bureaucracy & the retinue of f%#kwits that support it, negative idiots that add no value & produce nothing (oops this is starting to sound like a rant so time to finish).

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High - I live in the bush a few hundred metres up in the sky

Low - I work at sea level

Low - I duck & weave through rush hour traffic to get to the hwy

High - redline on the hill home ; all my cars run better as a result

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Working from home is always a High 

Low is the amount of time I spend on the phone I am sure I use to be able to get past 3pm before my iPhone would die in the past

 

Super High at lunch time i looked outside and decided the day was too nice and I had a Porsche in the garage so i should take it for a run and have callamari and chip down at Berowa waters 

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High today was when an opposition company told me they were still booking work for tomorrow where we are booked up for 2 weeks, which is a long time in my industry.

Low was the boss waffling on about wanting to be some sort of industry dispute mediation consultant? He has some serious issues. As well as no qualifications and an inflated god complex.

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not today but past week or so.

 

High:

Getting good feedback with customer service and getting rated better then the opposition in quality & service by a few on going customers.

 

Low:

Stress levels through the roof, headache for 3 weeks straight!! (been doctors MRI.. all good) 

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not today but past week or so.

High:

Getting good feedback with customer service and getting rated better then the opposition in quality & service by a few on going customers.

Low:

Stress levels through the roof, headache for 3 weeks straight!! (been doctors MRI.. all good)

Isn't it about 3 weeks since you bent some valves? I diagnose a vitamin P deficiency ;)
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Isn't it about 3 weeks since you bent some valves? I diagnose a vitamin P deficiency ;)

longer!! it'll take a few months. waiting on valves. 

possibly a "while im in there" project too ;)

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Guest Harold

High today, finalizing the appointment of our new marketing manager at last.

Low was telling the COO of a multi national company off for not telling me something that was important to a project I am working on.

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Highs - none

Lows - having to apply for another role as my current one has disappeared in a restructure, I'm competing against my colleagues, of which some are friends too. No idea what roles I'll get an interview for because they decided they need an external IT consultant on the panel. That's funny given we have the words "IT Excellence" in our name!

Low no 2 - even if I survive the restructure, I still could get made redundant sometime in next 12 months.

Possible High - 6 mth payout, a month off work and then start looking. Oh and selling 987 was totally a good call!

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High: My new vertical blind track is ready for pick up.

 

Low : The dishwasher needs emptying.

 

High: Saving the household corporation untold dollars in housekeeper restructuring

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HIGH : Knowing i only have 2 days to go working here with 2 brothers

LOW : the battle they want to make sure i dont take any of my personal property like my mobile phone number

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