Thursday, March 6, 2008

A public service conference and a funeral

Today I went to to this conferernce organised by the State Services Commission at the Westpac Stadium. It was on "influecne and persuassion" in the public sector or something like that. It was marketed to senior public servants and managers. Most of my team went. Because heck that's core business to our team. Most of the ex managers from my ex employee also went. I sort of enjoyed it becasue it made me realise a number of things.

The basic thing there was I realised I used to belong to a community (my ex employee). While I have left that community I do still have "networks" to it - even with people I remotely knew. It was the realisation and this is a bit new age (or maybe its just adpadted from tv 3's survivor programme) but i am going to use it anyway, that I left my old tribe and belong to a new tribe. And now it is up to me about choosing what tribe I run with. For now it is my current employee. I learn their skills, their way of workinng, and then at the year I reassess my next move. It could be a fun thing and a really healthy developmental thing if I make it that way.

Here's a few highlights/lowlights from the day:

  • Meeting Mr "Homeperm" again. He's so endearing after a short abscence, and actually I think his conversation has more substance and his enquires than some.
  • Hearing one of my current tribes describe basically how a lot of the people were plonkers. She'd seen them drunk at parties and heck who the hell did they think they were fooling and do they think are are
  • Kind of agreeing with this assessment that a lot of the people in the room were "career public servants" but heck they were quite ordinary
  • Meeting My Gayboy and him leaving me with Homeperm. My respect for Mr Homeperm increased immensely and concurrently my respect for mr gayboy decreased proportionately .
  • The familarity of Dr MSD explaining to the audience that she was Dr MSD, not really having a question to ask but putting on a nice eloquent and executed accent anyway in her cosndierable and unjsutifed floorspace.
  • Most of my current team/tribe arriving late as if they very busy/important have other thinsg to do. Thats not good enough.
  • Having a chat to one of the esoteric members of my team and beginnning to warm to her. That was good. A need to make her my best friend - its all about working toegther. NAd heck, she is a potentially a very good and strong ally - even if she is a cross btw the Canberra public servant I once worked with and a principal analyst I onced worked with.
  • Seeing this manager from a a govt dept who I think is a prat who I had dealings with at my job inbetween my last job - and seeing him think: heck shes here at the same level as me - sucker!
  • Final lowlight was being stuck at table with ex DDG - who gave a whole presnettaion on working for two agenccies - I did't use that opportunity quite as best as I could have. And personally while I think full credit for rebradning I kind of think its like the magicians slight of hand. Its just a perecepotion thing
I so need to keep on this "profefssional development" gravy train.

On the way home there were these two young - say early 20s guys. They appeared to be cousins coming to Carterton for their grandma's funeral. They were cathching up on what they were doing for work, and whether they had girlfriends, houses, intended getting married. One of them says hes not ready for marriage and heck all the girls who knows keep having kids and he's definitley not ready for kids. "They just keep popping out - heck about about four chicks I know have had kids sicne Christmas - they just keep popping out. One I was with not this New Years Eve but last. Man she was model, like you know, she made everyone's head turn. Only 18. And she's popped out this kid. Stunning but I'm glad its not my kid,

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

to clarify he is mr homeperm in the sense he is the original homeperm. not in he is married to me homeperm.

Hebequeen said...

She says quite defensively. Clearly, Mr Homeperm being the catch that he is, is alreay accounted for. If I'd occupied more floorspace I could have indeed broached the subject about how the young analyst he once worked with has without his knowledge stolen his indentity.

Homeperm said...

i just don't want anyone to think i could bag a man like him.