You had a bad day

It was a looong day. The pressure of getting things done is starting to build. Little surprises keep cropping up; keeping me on my toes. On top of that, Mr. Challenge, who has been pushing all the students buttons, finally broke through my defenses and we had a small yelling match in the kitchen.

Values, Standards & Morals

Here is what I spent the weekend working on. This is the first draft of what will become my Personal Statement.

In today’s advertising environment, phrases like “providing service over and above expectations”, “generosity” and “consideration” have become watered down. While I believe in these concepts, I believe further that only through example can these values be measured.

At Quigley Preparatory Seminary, I was taught that Christians in every walk of life are called to demonstrate love, generosity and consideration. Everything we do is to be done for the glory of God, including our work. I believe that honest work should be performed honestly. This means that all honest work can be a Christian vocation or calling. We do our jobs as Christians when we do our jobs as effectively and honestly as possible.

At seminary, I also understood that my vocation was not to the priesthood. I felt called to a different fatherhood. This decision was tested when we moved away from Chicago after my freshman year. I was given the opportunity to choose to live in the dormitory full-time or move to Milwaukee with my family. I did not return to Quigley.

I place great value in my family. I am thankful for the conscious effort my parents took to raise their children differently than they were raised. I take pride in providing a nurturing environment to my wife and children. In this environment, they are given the tools to materialize their visions; praise for their successes and sincere support for their failures. I cherish my time with Amy and the boys. After my faith, these are God’s greatest gifts to me.

That Was The Week That Was

I knew it would happen. Things would get hectic and the newest habits would be the first to be sacrificed. I will not make promises to do better. However, I might try to make smaller posts more frequently.

Last week was equal parts recovery from week 1, super busy in different ways and then a long weekend. A crew from NBC was on site with us most of Monday. CNBC and the Today show are doing articles about our school. First, we were filmed presenting our "Mirror" exercise. This is a self-evaluation done at the beginning and end of the course. We are challenged to measure our abilities against what we feel is the ideal. Afterwards, we had a crash course on setting a formal dining table for 12. After Sment Christmases and 8 years in dining rooms, this was not too much of a stretch for me.

On Tuesday, we began our Culinary courses. During the 3 hours, we were introduced to kitchen safety, hygiene and cleanliness. My zones so far have all been in the kitchen. It will be almost 3 straight weeks of dishes, sous chef and chef work. I will be very glad when this Friday rolls around and I will be finished with the kitchen zones. I cannot remember ever looking forward to dusting and vacuuming in this way. It is not that I mind working in the kitchen. Point of fact, I love it. However, it adds about 6 hours onto my day. By comparison, the non-kitchen zones are 2-3 hours extra per day. After 8 hours in class, the 2 hours of dinner prep, preparation and clean-up pretty much take the wind from my sails. I am not complaining, but I am looking forward to being in a different part of the mansion next week.

On Wednesday, we began our Wine & Spirits courses. During the 5 hours, we were introduced to the course layout (once per week for 3 hours). The instructor walked us through aperitifs: cocktails, sherries and other before dinner drinks. We also spent time in the kitchen mixing cocktails or trying aperitifs. We sampled a Manhattan, Lillet, a traditional Martini, Pernod, Margarita and a few others. No one really liked the Pernod, it is fortunate it is one of my favorite summer drinks. It went very well with dinner.

On Thursday, the camera man from NBC was back for some additional footage for the NBC spot. Otherwise, we were busy with in-class instruction and time to prepare our HM Books due at the end of June.

On Friday, the Wall Street Journal was in the mansion. WSJ is also doing an article on Starkey. Apparently Starkey is mentioned rather favorably and at some length (the entire second chapter) in an upcoming book about service. We spent the better part of the day with a photographer for the WSJ. The article is being written by the same man that wrote the book.

Friday night, Mr. B, another student and I went out. There's a punk bar around the corner. Johnny Cash was playing when we walked in. We took our beer to a booth, plugged the predominately country music jukebox with $5 and kicked back.

The weekend was quiet. Mr. B was out all day Saturday and most of the day Sunday. I went for a long walk on Saturday morning (6 miles) and then worked on my HM Book for the rest of the day. On Sunday, I walked the 2.5 miles to Christ Lutheran Center, a WELS mission in Denver. The 45 minute service was not quite enough rest for the 2.5 mile walk back though the 2 tacos asada y coca did provide the energy for the stroll home. Man, I love authentic Mexican food!

On Monday, we hung low. Mr. B and I changed our bedding, cleaned up the room and mostly just hung out. We have a big assignment due in the morning, so we focused on that when we weren't resting.

That's all from Denver. Have a great week.

Good help is hard to find

To answer the question, "There's a market for that, Scott?" Here is an interesting article that ran in today's Chicago Tribune.

It takes every kind of people

Of course, one of the most interesting aspects of the training is the other people in the class. There are 9 students in the class for all eight weeks. Five of the students are living on site, the other three are Denver natives and commute daily. The class relationship dynamics started taking shape around Thursday. Everyone was feeling the stress of the upcoming test. Yet, everyone rallied in their own way to be supportive of the other members. There was no "reality TV"-esque tear-down of people in the group. Thankfully, we seem to be well rounded both emotionally and in experience and no one has snapped, yet.

I was considering introducing you to the class. However, it will be difficult. Our ability to stay behind the scenes is of great value to our potential employers. I hope you can appreciate my respecting their privacy.

There is no need to mess that up for them.

One down and three-point six

I have been remiss in posting. The end of the week was very busy. The first week focused on learning the system we will be implementing for our employers. It is similar to a project management process or requirements process. There is a system specific language, iteritive steps, documentation, the works. For the final, we pretty much had to replicate it all. There were 10 questions that required nearly 80 responses and one extra credit question worth the same as one regular question. I missed a page when I first turned it in. Our instructor was kind enough to ask me if I intended to skip half the exam. I demurred and finished it, quickly. Through his benevolence, I received a 105%. A good start to the class.

The stretch of being away started a bit earlier than I expected. Ma chère is having a bit of a rough time with the separation. Truth be told, so am I. The good news is we are very blessed with a fantastic "village" of friends and family back home. Thank you all so much for guiding and supporting her.

One week down, seven to go.

Keep On Doing

It was a late night last night. One of our major projects for the training is creating a Household Managers manual for an estate. It is a detailed description of the people and environment of the estate. It includes the residents, guests, staff, buildings, rooms, decor, inventory, etc. For the project, we make it all up. However, we are encouraged to create our dream job in the process. The motto is, "As you think, so you create."

Last night, I created the 2 home owners (principals), their children, the principals' careers, their home. We will continue to add to the project service standards & styles, staff, a floor plan everything, really, that goes into a high-end estate. All this adds depth of character to our near billionaire couple.

The hardest part was coming up with the names Mr. James Carmichael and Mrs. Diane Carmichael. When I was finished, I googled James. Turns out there really was one in the US and one in England. Go figure.

Oh, oh big ol' jet airliner

I apparently left out the part where I am leaving town for training. Looking back over the past 14 days of posts, it might be obvious. But here is the lowdown. I flew out last night to Denver to attend Certification in Household Management training for 8 weeks. Classes are held in an actual late 19th century mansion. The 13,000 square feet include the school and school and placement administration. Rooms are also provided for the students. (That actually covers last night's post. Sorry, I was too tired to do it after the flight.)

The mansion is of fair size, comparable to Milwaukee's Pabst Mansion, though completely different in design. My first surprise was a roommate. I really came here with no expectations, so it was not an unwelcome surprise. Mr. B is a very nice man. As the roommate, I am sure he will be a recurring character. Dinner was provided on arrival; and, there was informal chatting among the resident students.

Class started today at 7:30. No problem, the time change and nervous jitters left me wide awake at 5:30 anyway. Continental breakfast and hit the classroom in the basement. The morning was filled with weekly assignments (zone assignments), an introduction to the code of ethics, an introduction to the staff and a presentation by the school founder. After lunch, we were introduced to the management system and the software. Some homework was assigned and the impression that yesterday was not too soon to start memorizing the important points of the training. After dinner, a number of us met in the classroom to work through the homework and start building the structure for our major projects.

That was the day. I am beat, so I will add more later. I am glad to see people peaking in. Drop a comment or email, I would be glad to hear from you.

So long, and thanks for all the fish

From the time I was hired, there was a significant lack of work for me to do. I was told it would be a couple of months before I was engaged in a project. Eventually, I was commissioned to perform a task that was outside of my previous experience and never mentioned during my interviews. By all accounts, the role was relatively undefined, the deliverables were variable and the team was practically all new staff and shifting almost weekly. I was frustrated with the lack of clarity and expectations for my role, the culture of bureaucracy and the difficulty of getting any decision actually made. That frustration was outwardly expressed in my attitude and communications. I struggled; frankly, I failed at it miserably. The fact is I was outside of my experience; however, there is no excuse. I am better than that.

After several months of sincere dedication by me and my managers to meet my team’s and client’s expectations, it was indicated I still needed to work on my communication styles and interpersonal skills. My sincerity and passion is interpreted as over-bearing. My desire to share information and articulation is interpreted as arrogance, "know-it-all" mentality and “has to be right”. That is not to say I cannot be an arrogant snob, I can…with the best. The expectation was for me to be less detailed, less technical and less articulate in my communications with the internal client (though in a twist of irony I was accused of using slang in an unprofessional manner, go figure).

(I read somewhere that self-confidence can be interpreted as arrogance through the perceiver's self-doubt. "I am as arrogant as you are over-whelmed by your self-doubt.")

I am not prepared to make these changes. I admit that I should vary my "social style" based on audience; however, the concept of "dumbing down" a message is insulting to all parties. If it is not my role to dictate “what” and "how", the decision makers must have a reasonable amount of information in order to move the project forward. Unfortunately, the organization’s strong suit is not decision making.

My experience with the firm has been that experienced new hires are only valued if they can mimic the current processes. These lucky few do great in the firm. They are easy to work with and can get things done. However, the culture makes it so experienced hires must be "fixed" before they can really be trusted to do their job. The "this is the way WE do it" mentality is stifling. It is demoralizing and debilitating for new hires. Any organization that feels that 5 years is an ok acclimation period for experienced hires, needs to re-evaluate why they are bringing in experienced workers. The pay is substandard and the benefits are being trimmed to make the organization more competitive. This does not strike me as “doing the right thing”.

Yesterday was my last day. I could go on. Indeed, I did on my exit interview. I felt my criticism was delivered rationally and sincerely. I also felt my comments were not a surprise. However, I have already let it go.

So long, and thanks for all the fish.

It's Time To Pay The Fiddler

I am trying to get the stray-ends of my non-work life in order before I leave. As a volunteer, I spend my time between 3 committees at church and our home owners' association. In the past few months, the first week of the month gets crazy. Somehow, all 4 groups meet within 7 days of each other. Since I am the Chair or Secretary on 3 of them, that means copious notes, transcription to the computer and distribution of the minutes. I feel like a copy-editor by the end of the week.

Our HOA is currently self-managed. That means the Board is responsible for the collection of fees, securing of contractors for maintenance, lawn care, snow removal, etc. and all the other duties that come from managing a property. Our biggest challenge are the home owners that do not pay their fees. We spend countless hours every month printing statements, talking to lawyers and being hard-nosed jerks. Then, to top it off, we get treated like it is our fault they missed the last 18 months of payments.

This week was classic for that. I spent around 8 hours preparing statements for 3 accounts that own the majority of our uncollected fees plus 3 hours on the phone and email with the lawyer. Tuesday, one of their kids is running around the neighborhood calling my wife a c@@p-head. Nothing like neighborly love, I always say!

We're S-H-O-PP-I-N-G

We went shopping last night. It is amazing how I can have a closet full of clothing and all but my black dress belt is appropriate for the training. I need classic navy blue blazer, slacks (khaki & black), dress shirts (white broad cloth, not oxford, not button down collar), conservative ties, golf shirts (white, minimal marking), black vest, black tie and shoes (dress black, soft soled).

I really like French cuffs on my shirts. I have not worn them in a while. They are not terribly practical in most IT roles. I am not too keen on spending hours at a keyboard with more fabric under my wrists. In any case, ma chère thought they might not be appropriate. We compromised and picked up 2 of each.

I also took a bit of indulgence. I picked up a pair of Allen-Edmonds dress shoes. Having spent a number of years in Wisconsin, it is hard to not know who they are. I can tell you, though, there is no discount for the locals! The discontinued sales shoes are still expensive. Man, though, they are very-very comfortable. I need a brown pair of shoes, too. I wonder what I can find for say $10.00!

I must say how pleased we are with Men's Warehouse. Without fail, I can go in and get the appropriate amount of service and find what I need. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable.

Thank goodness ma chère can shift into "efficiency" mode when shopping. We hit 6 stores in 3 hours and came out with everything but the brown shoes. I love that woman!

Admit It

This is my Admissions Essay.

My sister and I were raised to place great value on respect, conduct and etiquette. This was founded in parts on my mother's French upbringing and my father's military background. Experience has also taught me that there is no substitute for sincerity and consideration in all matters. I strive to provide a respectful quality of genuine service provided by deliberate, kind and patient hand. My wife and I continue that tradition with our children.

I do believe the standard cliché "good help is hard to find". However, this is only half the problem. To provide good customer service, the provider must have an understanding of what is to be expected. If I enter a distinguished restaurant, I expect gracious service, impeccable surroundings and a meal created from the best ingredients. If these expectations are met, I leave with a good feeling about the place.

My goal for this training is to learn what it is to provide high-quality service and to learn insights into the finer details. My background imparts me with the aptitude for excellent service. I wish to learn what is to be expected so that I can anticipate those needs and surpass them when possible.

Caught in the Breakdown

Our desktop computer took a dive a few weeks back. The fact that it is still not fixed was an obvious symptom of my malaise over IT. It used to be that a sick computer in our house was made better in a matter of hours. I still have 3 "beige boxes" in the basement for spare parts. Lately, however, the last thing I wanted to do after a frustrating day at work was crack into another puzzle. Networks, VPN, firewalls, VoIP (Vonage), Wireless Access, etc. all started to get on my nerve. (Yes, just one nerve. The rest are reserved for the Things.)

So, Saturday was the "Prince Spaghetti Day" of fixing the computer. Picking around in the computer led me to believe one of my RAID-0 hard-drives was corrupt. I spent a few hours cruising around the city trying to find an inexpensive pair of hard-drives and settled on getting just on big one. The RAID-0 is not really getting used much and at this point I cannot afford $300 on hard-drives.

I get home, peel back the cover and get to work replacing the hard-drive. Experience taught me years ago to NEVER put things back together until AFTER the software is installed. Good thing I listened, it wasn't the hard-drive. It wasn't the video card, nor the RAM.

I really wanted to take our laptop to school. But, here I am 7 days away from my last pay-check (please, dear Lord, for just a few weeks) looking at replacing a processor or a mother board. AARGG.

Final answer, the laptop stays and the IT guy that has not been away from a keyboard for more than 2 days in the past 15 years will have to deal with addiction withdrawal.

The Name of the Rose

The other morning, ma chère épouse and I wrote what I called our "boogeyman list". The list of issues that scare us the most during my transition. Here is the list in no particular order:

• Spouse Time
• Family Time
• Health Insurance (This is probably the scariest monster under the bed!)
  
• Mortgage
• Bills (Utilities, Student Loans, Auto Loan, Credit Cards)
  
• School (The Things hafta learn.)
• Church
• Spouse Time
  
• Loss of Salary
• Increase of Debt (Career Training is not cheap!)
• Did I mention Spouse Time?
  

The list is not comprehensive, not by a long shot. My idea was that if we at least name our worries, we have a better chance of communicating what is keeping us awake at night.

The World Turning Circles Running 'round My Brain

My last day is next Friday. It is going to be a nerve-wracking week. There is very little to transition, which means a few meetings, a few goodbyes and the rest of the week just marking time. One of my motivators to leave IT is the marking of time. There are few things as frustrating as the "hurry up and wait". It is alright for an hour or even a day. Unfortunately, I have endured much longer stretches of waiting than hurrying over the years.

Remains of the Day

The career has changed since "Remains of the Day" or "Gosford Park". The staff can either "live in" or "live out" and the hours are generally 8-6. But the duties are still the same: manage the staff, housekeeping & maintenance, event planning, service for meals and entertainment, personal care, food and cellar stock, transportation (some chauffeuring) and travel when necessary. The duties depend on the employer. If they have multiple facilities, the estate manager is responsible for the staff in each house, boat, plane, etc.

Since I am starting out relatively fresh, I would expect to start with a small family with a relatively small staff of 1 or 2 plus me. Some resorts and hotels are also providing private service for their high-end guests. The pay is less there, but the tips seem to more than make up for it. I have read about a few household managers running staffs of 25 in 2 residences of 10,000 to 30,000 square feet. Most of these guys, though, are retired military senior stewards or officers.

Next up, training...

Time For A Cool Change

I was chatting with old college friend last fall that suggested that I look into the hospitality industry. I worked in a similar capacity in college. I worked at a full-service resort during summers and at hotels and restaurants during the school year. I always enjoyed the work, particularly the one-on-one with the guests.

Then, ma chère épouse and I were at a New Year's party in D.C. this year and met a woman who provides private service as a temporary. She flies in and manages the house, nannies for the children, event planning, whatever the employer needs. She provides private service for a couple of weeks and then moves on. I thought, "I can do this." This provided some insight into the industry.

I did not think about it much until mid-March when I stumbled upon a butler's blog. After spending time with Dean, I ended up spending a few days researching modern day butlers.

The Reasons for Quitins Are Gettin Bigger Each Day

5 years ago, I began to worry about retirement from information technology (IT). I did not notice many "long-toothed" IT people around. The few around are so removed from the current technology, they might as well be a newbie (no disrespect intended).

I started in "computers" because it was a hobby. It was fun swapping out pc cards and trying new shareware. The BBSs (yes, I know, I am dating myself) were relatively free from flamers. Spam only came in a can. Internet access was limited to universities and a few internet service providers. Any one remember when it was a big deal when Compuserve & Prodigy began providing limited access to gopher, usenet and ftp?

After 13 years in an information technology role, I am leaving the industry. This was not an easy decision. I enjoy IT. Sometimes it can be like Christmas; new gadgets and widgets come around almost everyday. What started as a hobby, turned into a career; now it is a job. I know my job is not who I am, it is what I do. Still, I expect more of myself.