A Good Day
Since for a while this spring I was really down on my job, I feel compelled to also balance out the spectrum here. In the last four weeks, I have really liked my job.
I think it is a combination of two factors: a) I am currently working on really interesting things that I am enjoying b) my direct supervisor is out on maternity leave and so her boss is my temporary supervisor. She and I get along very well. She completely trusts me to do good work (and of course I do it.) Instead of checking up on me, she checks in with me. I often find that we are working collaboratively on something where she feels no need to reinforce that she is my boss. I know it, so does she, but she is happy to involve me in many different areas of the Center's work. I am also suspecting that there is a c) to this whole thing and that is because I know more about the breadth of our work than my direct supervisor does (and she knows more about communications) she often prefers me to work in her area lest she have the superior amount of experience and knowledge to "supervise" me. Since supervisor has been gone I have been doing things that are much more germane to the experience I have (and amen to the lack of communications work I am doing currently.)
Today, for instance, I worked with a group of 10 high school kids from Missouri from 9-12. I was teaching them how to coach PA. (Afterwards, they commented on how good I was at my job in front of my boss- always a plus) Over lunch I met with marketing student who is doing an internship with us this fall. After that I worked with a few people over email- I am organizing one of the Center's co-director's book tour to college campuses across the country this fall and am currently negotiating his honoraria with different colleges. Finally, I sat down and did a two-hour oral history interview with a guy that is a Iraq War veteran and an anti-war activist. At the end of the day, I found out that I am getting a big "salary augmentation" for the grant work I am doing with the Center. Hmmm.. It was a good day. And today I like my job.
I think it is a combination of two factors: a) I am currently working on really interesting things that I am enjoying b) my direct supervisor is out on maternity leave and so her boss is my temporary supervisor. She and I get along very well. She completely trusts me to do good work (and of course I do it.) Instead of checking up on me, she checks in with me. I often find that we are working collaboratively on something where she feels no need to reinforce that she is my boss. I know it, so does she, but she is happy to involve me in many different areas of the Center's work. I am also suspecting that there is a c) to this whole thing and that is because I know more about the breadth of our work than my direct supervisor does (and she knows more about communications) she often prefers me to work in her area lest she have the superior amount of experience and knowledge to "supervise" me. Since supervisor has been gone I have been doing things that are much more germane to the experience I have (and amen to the lack of communications work I am doing currently.)
Today, for instance, I worked with a group of 10 high school kids from Missouri from 9-12. I was teaching them how to coach PA. (Afterwards, they commented on how good I was at my job in front of my boss- always a plus) Over lunch I met with marketing student who is doing an internship with us this fall. After that I worked with a few people over email- I am organizing one of the Center's co-director's book tour to college campuses across the country this fall and am currently negotiating his honoraria with different colleges. Finally, I sat down and did a two-hour oral history interview with a guy that is a Iraq War veteran and an anti-war activist. At the end of the day, I found out that I am getting a big "salary augmentation" for the grant work I am doing with the Center. Hmmm.. It was a good day. And today I like my job.
posted by KLOU | 5:08 PM
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