That One Employee

Hey all,

Hope you are having a good week. As you know, I am speaking at the state meeting this weekend. I had been pretty calm up until last night. I have tried not to over-think the whole thing, and I haven't really changed the lecture from last time. But now I am almost in a complete panic. I know my stuff is good and I know people will like it, but I am starting to totally freak out. If any of you read this and are at the lecture, come say hello.

Trying not to think about my lecture, I watched a few movies this week. We Bought a Zoo and War Horse were both okay and worth the rental. I am almost done with “50 Shades of Grey.” I will give you my review next Wednesday.

Today I want to tell you about a friend I have. He has a staff a lot like mine, a pretty good, small team. Speaking of a team, they like to do stuff together. They do stuff with the doctor and even plan things just with themselves (like "girls night out"). Most of his staff are getting older and now that the kids are out of the house, they don't have to run home to their families. The ones that do have families get babysitters so they can enjoy a night without crying, boogery kids.

As you can imagine, my friend is thrilled. We all go through the day and realize that, to some of our staff, it is just a job This guy has a staff that really like each other. Damn him.

But the other day he was telling me that one of the staff members doesn't ever do anything with the others. She can’t go to a movie because she has to take her dog to the vet. She can’t make it to girls’ night out because her husband has “this thing.” She didn’t make it for dinner and drinks because she forgot.

Oh, and it can't be the money. When they go out, the doctor pays (he thinks it is worth the money). She always goes to the CE (again, doctor pays). But when it is just fun, an after work thing, she never goes.

My friend said he and the rest of the staff like her. She comes to work and she does her job. But he is concerned about this. He thinks the others might be getting a little hurt because she won’t hang out with them. Also, as the leader of this team, he feels like it is important to maybe have a beer with the people you are in battle with everyday.

I don't really know how I feel about this. It is good for morale, but there is no reason that she has to fraternize. There becomes a sense of team. People will have your back when things get messy. If you are just in your room, saying hello when you come in, then doing your work and going home, there is not a whole lot of unity being built.

I know what some of you are thinking and I think about the same thing: leave her alone. Don't mess with happy. We all, as bosses, want our team to like each other. We want them to like us. But, as I get older, my expectations of my staff are not as lofty. I am just happy when they don't talk behind my back and they like their jobs. I want everything the magazines and lectures tell me could happen, but I also know reality.

What do you think? Would you leave well enough alone? Should the doctor try to sit her down and tell her how important building a team is? Does he tell her she has to go? I am interested in your opinion or your stories.

Have a great rest of the week. See you at the FNDC.

john