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My management approach & philosophy
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My current interests focus on looking for gainful employment. This could take the following forms:
One organization where I have found a culture that I enjoy is the UC system. I would like to work there again. To that end I have been applying to jobs there.
Both times I got jobs in the UC system I submitted my resume, and then figured out who the hiring manager is. Sometimes I went through department HR representatives (who have been very forthcoming) and sometimes I took the job description to someone listed as a liaison for the position, and used that to figure out who was hiring. In both cases, my leg work paid off: the first position I held was at UCSF, and I spent 4 years managing a $2.5M/year Breast Cancer research grant. The other was at Cal where I spent 13 months, managed a total of 14 staff, and discovered a method to cut operating costs in half. Both were very positive expriences, where I managed by consensus, as is my natural inclination. And true to my goal-oriented nature, got things done within the cumbersome UC bureaucracy. And all this in an environment where an analytical approach was highly valued.
One of the people who worked with me at Cal is now at the UC Office of the President, and she is convinced I should be working at UC. We are looking for the right position. I have been screening positions by the supervisory opportunities they provide.
I am not at the point that I want to develop a "I want a job at UC" website, but who knows?
Of course, I want to continue developing my skills in Performance Improvement.
I have made significant progress on identifying gaps in services for emancipated foster youth, and finding feasible ways to address them. One gap that I am drawn to is giving emancipated foster youth experiences that will help them discover their passions. Another is helping them identify their support networks, and consciously develop them. A third is harnessing a relatively abundant resource - adult volunteers in helping emancipating foster youth.
Currently I am trying to address the second and the third. To do this I am:
The issue I am not addressing now is that of providing youth with activity opportunities. I hope that will come out of the other two efforts. <--I am told that many foster youth do not get the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities. This frequently makes it difficult for them to identify things they enjoy, both voctionally and recreationally. As they mature from childhood into adulthood, they don't necessarily see the multitude of options available. I am therefore working on establishing a network that will give youth the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities that adults participate in. If you are willing to share your hobby, volunteer activity or vocation with a young adult, please email me.
I am connected to a few large volunteer organizations. My plan is to enlist volunteers who are willing to include a youth in activities that are part of their life, about which they are passionate.Types of activities:
When I realized the real estate market would no longer support our current business model, I started exploring my options. This included online searching and over 20 informational interviews. My conclusion is that I want to coordinate the efforts of professionals involved with "performance improvement." This includes improving the people (usually addressed by Training and Development), the work processes (addressed by fields such as six sigma, lean, etc.), and the environment (usually addressed by the field of Organizational Development). This would include any change that happens in an organization.
ISPI calls this Human Performance Technology, and has an experience-based certification process that is called "Certified Performance Technologist." I participated in a workshop, where for 3 days we learned basic tools and exercised using them on case studies.
In exploring an appropriate educational background I came up short. I have not yet found an academic program that would give me a solid background for this. An MBA would be helpful in that it would allow me to speak the language of MBAs, and address the bottom line; a masters in Organizational Development would contribute; and there are a multitude of six sigma and similar programs. But I have yet to find a program that addresses the integration of all these techniques and approaches.
Once I figure out how I will be making a living over the next few years, I will develop my own program - consisting of some theoretical courses, some applied courses, and a hefty reading list. I am actively looking for someone to help me evaluate educational resources for their rigor and application to my needs, to help me identify quality classes, and differentiate between courses that are equivalent to reading a book and those where participating in a class or workshop would bring real added value. If that is you, please email me.
My dream is to develop a program that helps emancipated foster youth form support systems that will serve the roll that extended family and family friends serve for most of us. I would like to engage "mainstream" or "middle class" people who are involved in different communities - former CASAs, job seekers, church and community organizations - in helping with individual tasks, with the hope that some of these relationships will evolve into lifelong connections.
I am developing the concept of what this might look like, and I am trying to figure out what is available, and what additional programs would be helpful. Everyone has a different perspective, so I am trying to speak with as many people as possible (feel free to email me to discuss). Right now it looks like an area of need is to provide experiences with hobbies and other activities, things adults do with their time other than TV, and places where people find friends and community. My vision is that some of the volunteers providing a one-time experience will have chemistry with some of the young adults they interact with, and this might lead to longer relationships. Ultimately, the goal is to allow each young adult to create permanency pacts with multiple adults of their choosing to cover a variety of supports. By providing a limited, structured basis for interaction, personal connections will be made. See where I am with this right now.
Renaissance Soul is a term coined by Margaret Lobenstine and "scanner" is a term coined by Barbara Sher to describe people who have an insatiable curiosity, love to learn and do new things, and seem to be "jumping" from one thing to another. This goes along with an extraordinary propensity for learning and modifying your world view. Barbara Sher describes many subtypes, and through reading her book "Refuse to Choose" I have identified myself as a "Plate Spinner" and a "Wanderer."
As a plate spinner I have multiple interests and I keep coming back to them, keeping all the “plates” in the air simultaneously. The most clear manifestation of this is that I am currently involved in a job search, a quest to chart an educational path to my ultimate career (the one I will have when I grow up), and of course I have been knitting, working on many different projects, and even occasionally finishing one. As I write this I am preparing to go to weekly Israeli Folk dancing, and this weekend I may usher at the Zellerbach Theatre, Aurora Theatre, or any of a nubmer of film festivals. Studying to read torah (the scroll has neither vowels, nor punctuation, so you have to memorize the music), and going to West coast Live are currently on hold. Did I mention I have been enjoying networking and spending time with my two teens?
Being a Wanderer is about being interested in a specific aspect of everything. For me it is: what is the challenge? So, for instance, I discovered that the challenge in sign language is developing the dexterity to move your hands fast enough to be fluent. I just discovered that you can have an accent in sign language, too, which I think is fascinating. While I am not interested in mastering sign language, when it relates to business and people, I tend to be interested in possible solutions, all the way through implementation. When I performed a traditional job analysis for the Educational Director at my synagogue, and discovered that the position includes 130% effort, using 3 distinct skills sets - educational, managerial and administrative - my immediate reaction was to try to carve it up so that we could end up with manageable effort, for which we could find a mere mortal who could successfully perform the 100% position we could afford.
I am interested in business and management. After I completed my masters in Biochemistry, when my son was still a newborn, I took some Open University classes. I thought that one day I might pursue a business degree. I was fascinated by the quantification of human, emotional activities (such as shopping) in Microeconomics, and learned things in Social Psychology that I still use today. I also looked for work managing staff but was probably too young and inexperienced. After 4 years at UCSF, I was hired at a medical device startup. I started thinking about the field of decision making – which I learned about from a Stanford project in patient decision making regarding their care at the Breast Care Center at UCSF – as it pertained to clinical research in medical device startups and pharmaceutical companies. My second position at a medical device company focused on introducing compliance with international standards into existing research studies; the 5 direct reports, medical and psychology students, were mentioned during the interview as an aside. I worked at creating a team using team building exercises and excursions, and continued to use those skills in my position at UC Berkeley. I enjoyed team building and coaching my employees; but I also enjoyed figuring out how to make the operations work better for everyone.
This led to my recent exploration of Management Consulting, Organizational Development and Performance Improvement, another facet of business. While each of these terms has different meanings to different people, I have found at least one for each that resonates with what I would like to do.
In conclusion, almost any topic can pique my interest. Once I understand what the challenges are, I address them with skills I enjoy using. And for me, that is the essence of being a scanner.
A classic demonstration of my outstanding learning ability, is the "I have, I need" statement. I went to an IMC meeting in November of 2008. One of their networking exercises was to write such a statement and use it with people at the meeting. I found it helpful to articulate my networking goals, and I promptly used it the very next day in my networking at Mt. Diablo ASTD:
I have experience in:
- administrative and employee management
- organizational work
- performing research, analysis, data gathering
- computer applications
- and much more, as befits my scanner personality!
I currently need employment. It could take the form of full time or contract work providing support services to consultants, full time work managing an office or an operation, or even an entry level SAS programming job. I am very effective at figuring things out, and therefore need minimum direction. I am sensitive to priorities and know when to ask questions to make sure I am always on the same page with my client/employer. You can always view my online resume.
I enjoy working in the business world, where the question is usually "How can I do this?" rather than "Can I do this?" I want to be involved in efforts where you can measure the outcomes, and provide excellent service to your clients. That said, I am drawn to the non-profit sector, and have returned to it again and again.
My ultimate goal is to work in Performance Improvement (see ISPI) either as a consultant or as a manager who spends 2-4 years improving a single operation. I am seeking help in charting an educational path, and adding to the 3 operations I have already improved. My biggest achievement in this area was re-structuring a survey research project to complete more surveys with tighter quality control for half the cost.
While I am working on my job search, I have become active in job networking groups, and am working on improving my presentation skills by facilitating workshops and meetings.
This statement still reflects my current interests. I reserve the right to change it based on my evolving knowledge, perspective and goals. Email me yours or send comments.
Whether you need a modest web presence or new content on your existing web site, Seri will do it promptly and at a reasonable price. Seri has built websites from scratch, and updated web sites written by others. Choose between a one-time revision and periodic updates.
Design coordination, floor plan consulting and project manager (construction). Design and project management from beginning to end provided for:
Knitting is my passion. I have a varied curriculum, or I can tailor
a class to your needs.
I currently work at Yarn Boutique in Lafayette, as well
as offering classes through the Moraga Parks and Recreation Department (see their
spring programs to be published
in December, 2007).
This week I am trying to help my friends Rod Ford-Smith and Susan Overton to be found on the internet.