Como me encantaría a veces volver al pasado... Cuando jugabamos al "Beauty" con mis amiguitas. Estoy en la oficina, contando los minutos para salir, y sin embargo, no quiero ir a casa. Se que suena horrible cuando tengo un esposo y un hijo maravillosos que me esperan, pero en realidad si fuera por "deseos" hoy me iria a un "spa." El problema es que no lo puedo pagar. La unica vez que fui a un "Spa" fue por un "regalo" para limpiar la conciencia de mi antiguo patrono. ;) ¡¡Y que experiencia!! (Me refiero al Spa...no a trabajar con mi antiguo patrono) En mi subconsciente pensaba "Ay Dios mio, con $395 yo pago el prestamo estudiantil de este mes, el cable TV, el teléfono y me sobra un poquito para completar la luz!" Pero después de que me relajé con el tecito, la batita, la velita y el masajito; decidí disfrutarlo a cabalidad, porque sabía que pasaría mucho tiempo para poder repetir la experiencia. Claro si tenia que venir de mi bolsillo....
Nada, volviendo al tema, hoy se me ocurrió hablar con mi amiga Jacquie y decidimos que ibamos a hacer el "Spa Latino" entiéndase: cubo de mapear, velita Glade, mascarilla St. Yves (si es que existe todavia) y para mantener el efecto del pelo lacio, lo terminaremos con un "dubi". Lo bueno es que con todo el "boom" de la diversidad y la Sotomayor corriendo para Jueza del Tribunal Supremo, van a ver que la calidad no tiene precio, y al final todo se reduce a "perceived value" y "Cost effectiveness" ;) Ambas cosas no tienen precio. Se lo ponemos. :D

The Project Manager of the Project Manager of the Project Manager of the Project...

I've been in Corporate America for 10+ years, still I think I don't understand how to play the game... Sometimes, I don't understand the "political game," nor the "managing-up game." Maybe is because of my biculture... I come from a "colony" that have been struggling for some time now with an identity crisis. We're not Americans, we're not from Latin America, we're not even fully Puerto Ricans... Which by the way, coming from such ambiguity have helped me with the "dealing with the ambiguity" skill that is so vital for this unstable working environment. I've started in Corporate America from the ground up... I used to compared it to the Indian caste system. Slowly but surely, I went up the Corporate Ladder and now enjoy a very challenging and priviledged position. (Not in pay nor position exactly, but compared to coming from the ground, I feel like the "Queen of England" or Spain, or any Queen featured in the "Hello", "Hola" Magazine.) Coming back to my point... I've noticed that with all the layoffs that have happened, "out of the blue"suddenly we found out that a new "Project Manager" have been hired... And then "pop", another "Project Manager" for the "Project Manager that was hired before have been added... And suddenly, going to another meeting, and a new "Project Manager" for the "Project Manager" to manage the other "Project Manager" have been also hired... While I try to make sense of it, I found out that the people doing the execution (actual work) and the "Dirty Work" of the project have been notified that they are going to be layoff in a month... And what are left...redundancies, double effort, and people thinking they're "reinventing the wheel"and a LOT of Project Managers. Oh no, sorry, it is called "strategy"... I love when the Project Manager of the Project Manager of the Project Manager of a project comes with a superficial, "common sense" solution and "strategy" to complete a task or implement a program. It is so amusing to see them so proud of themselves thinking they are the "last coke of the dessert" only to find out the complexities and challenges of finding a solution. The best part is after all the boasting...they've "figured out" the objections or challenges on why they cannot be completed or done. An unanswered question that I have is under what standards these people are hired? I think it is because all of the "Personal Marketing" crap and how well you sell yourself, decision are based on having "good intentions + being articulate rather than a high or at least functional IQ." At least, I'm mastering my 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert within a skill.... What skill??? The skill of managing the ambiguity of the Project Managers of life...