Assignments

So I went ahead and dropped both of my assignments.  It’s only Day 2 (Tuesday) but I’m over it LOL  I’m ready to be done.

This Blueprint is particularly weird.  They’re usually a hodge-podge of things – random ideas just thrown together into an assignment.  This one is no different:

•Provide the title of the job position you evaluated, and briefly describe the roles and responsibilities that position entails.  (the idea was to think about a future job at an organization we ‘aspire’ to work for)

 •For each of the six characteristics outlined on p. 159 in How the Mighty Fall, write a paragraph evaluating your strengths and weaknesses in that area.

 •Write a 2- to 3-paragraph analysis of at least three key weaknesses that you would like to improve. Formulate a potential plan for developing yourself in those areas.

 •Briefly describe the lessons you learned as you analyzed an organization in terms of improving performance, increasing throughput and profit, and designing more successful organizations. Explain how you can use these concepts in the future.

 •In addition, write a 1-page paper identifying the important concepts, ideas, or skills you will take away from this course that would also help you be prepared to reach future career goals. Discuss how you will use those things to improve yourself in your current managerial role or in a future position.

 

The first part seems especially weird.  I love my job and am not currently looking for a new job or even a different position.  Plus, how am I suppose to evaluate the true nature of a job based on random articles or stuff I find online?

The 6 Characteristics in Collins’s book are fine but two of them are especially obnoxious:

#1 – Core Values … OK – nothing wrong with that until you get to the part that says good organizations encourage/support an “almost cult-like culture”.  Umm … no.  ‘Cult-like’ makes me think of people who end up drinking kool-aid in the jungle of Guyana and not the sort of company I want to work for OR the kind of employee I want to try to manage. 

# 3 – Responsibilities, not Jobs – it’s the idea that good employees/good organizations see their work not as ‘just a job’ but as some higher calling and responsibility.  You know – I think that’s pretty judgmental and doesn’t take into account that people who see their work as … a JOB … can still be a great employee, dedicated and passionate from 8-5 … and then leave their work for other, private things that bring them passion and joy.  I point this out and say the problem doesn’t lie with the employee but with an organization which doesn’t recognize or respect that their employees have lives outside of work.