It has been a while since I've written anything! I have been caught up in work the last few days and haven't had the energy to come up with a blog entry believe it or not. I'd like to say I have found, or at least I've started to find my own unique way to be a supervisor but I have not. It has been almost two months and I am still working on getting the basic parts of my job down. When things start to go south during an unexpected rush or when we are unexpectedly missing staff I come through though. There have been times, I'll be honest, where my calm exterior was in danger of cracking but it has not yet happened! I always feel when a huge rush happens and the employees are starting to get nervous, where do they look to see how they should feel? That's right, if I stay calm at all times then they will stay calm at all times (eventually). Another point I wanted to bring up on the topic of leadership is that of how close you can be to employees. Most people have told me that you can't be friends with your employees outside of work (or at the workplace even) if you are also their supervisor. The logic of it feels correct in my head and I agree with them there but deep down in my heart it doesn't feel right. Thus the first dilemma has been presented in my first leadership position. I think this is one of those times where I can define what kind of leader I want to be. If I work to keep my emotional distance from the employees here then they will still follow my example and when I give direction they will follow but they will follow because of my title. If I work to build working relationships at work (and outside if I happen to see them) they will follow my example and my direction because they want to. People say they don't want to be friends with their employees but that is an old, outdated leadership principle. I am going to use my knowledge I gained as a Barista to know what needs to be done (I haven't missed anything yet during my shifts) but I am not going to change who I am as a person. I am still going to be genuinely friendly to everyone I am around. I am also aware of, and I'm also staying away from, the trap where people will try to walk over me and get what they want because they think I'm so nice I'll say yes to anything. I know the line and when saying yes is bad for the company and the greater good. I say no when it is necessary!
Other than that I am still trying to figure out my favorite haunts in West Lafayette. I think I zeroed in on my first favorite place. I am going to try to be a regular at the Irish pub here just down the hill from work called Nine Irish Brothers. Some of the servers already recognize me by sight so that's a start. I also tip very well so that doesn't hurt! On the weekends there is live music so I always enjoy that. It is a little more expensive but everything is quite delicious so I don't mind, especially since I am making more money now and can afford it. I also come to Starbucks on my off days as well, that's where I am now, to hang out and have a coffee or two and think. I am the opposite of a lot of people in this way. I have often been asked how I can concentrate with hundreds of people coming in and out of this store all day. I just really like being around crowded public places such as a coffee shop. It's a great place to meet people and it staves off my seasonal depression during the late fall and winter months. When that time of year comes I really don't like to be alone so I head to a place like this and I get to at least feel a superficial connection with a lot of different people. As I get settled into this city a little more I'm sure I will find a few more places to enjoy as well as meet more people to enjoy those places with.
All that's left I can think of to talk about is I am getting ready for football season and I finally jumped on the fantasy football bandwagon. I have never gotten into this so we'll see how I do. I actually have a pretty decent team I think but I have to get in the habit of signing in to see the score every once in a while and be sure to put the right players on the active list and bench the others. This is a pretty good way to get me to watch teams other than the Colts all the time. Alright y'all, I think that does it for now. I'll try my hardest to make entries a little more often now that I am really starting to get settled in. Even if nothing big is happening I still want to make entries, that's why people read these things yeah? The exciting and the mundane. Have a good one ladies and gentlemen.
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