Al the trainer??

[Al Swearegen]

This is funny.

Our little team at work is growing quite substantially, because the work is growing quite substantially. We are getting another couple of newbies.

We deal exclusively with two platforms. I do REALLY crappy at one and REALLY well in another. My Manager came over today and said "Look you are really good at speaking with people and have a pretty good way of listening and explaining things. You are a people person. You also are completely across (the platform I know). So I was thinking you would be a really good fit to train the new people on (that platform). I want you to think on this and what and how you will go about this. (My Supervisor - who happens to be one of the most knowledgeable people on the Platform) is very smart and technical but not much of a people person. I reckon you would do really well. You empathise and put people at ease. You have a nice easy manner"

Aspie trainer. Empathy. People person. I think it was nice in a hilarious way.

I think it will be cool and I am up for it, but I think his way of describing me is funny as Hell.

[Tequila]

Your new mug:



If you actually get one, hopefully you've had your feet under the table for a good while and that you have an understanding boss.

[Minister Of Silly Walks]

I have fronted stand-up training before. Was told my voice was too monotonous and I was putting people to sleep. That I should try talking like a DJ. I imagine I would sound ridiculous trying to explain how to interface a lending system to an accounting system in a sing-song voice.

These days I spend most of my time on a chatting tool (similar to messenger, or skype without the video). Interfacing with 2 offshore teams. It gives me a chance to choose my words carefully and hopefully come across as more of a people person than I usually do.

Good luck with the training Al.

[Al Swearegen]

I have fronted stand-up training before. Was told my voice was too monotonous and I was putting people to sleep. That I should try talking like a DJ. I imagine I would sound ridiculous trying to explain how to interface a lending system to an accounting system in a sing-song voice.

These days I spend most of my time on a chatting tool (similar to messenger, or skype without the video). Interfacing with 2 offshore teams. It gives me a chance to choose my words carefully and hopefully come across as more of a people person than I usually do. Similarly someone talking unadulterated crap in a very nice or pleasant voice has never done it for me.


Good luck with the training Al.

I, apparently, have a radio voice and as my friend reminds me, a face made for radio too.
To be completely honest, I have always thought it matters far more WHAT a person is saying than HOW they say it. I am more than happy to listen to someone with an unusual voice or a speech impediment if what they are saying is interesting. But that is not across the board.

Thanks for the well-wishing. Unexpected but appreciated

[Minister Of Silly Walks]

I speak very proper and very clearly. People often remark on it.

It's just that my voice is more than a bit tonally flat.

[renaeden]

This is funny.

Our little team at work is growing quite substantially, because the work is growing quite substantially. We are getting another couple of newbies.

We deal exclusively with two platforms. I do REALLY crappy at one and REALLY well in another. My Manager came over today and said "Look you are really good at speaking with people and have a pretty good way of listening and explaining things. You are a people person. You also are completely across (the platform I know). So I was thinking you would be a really good fit to train the new people on (that platform). I want you to think on this and what and how you will go about this. (My Supervisor - who happens to be one of the most knowledgeable people on the Platform) is very smart and technical but not much of a people person. I reckon you would do really well. You empathise and put people at ease. You have a nice easy manner"

Aspie trainer. Empathy. People person. I think it was nice in a hilarious way.

I think it will be cool and I am up for it, but I think his way of describing me is funny as Hell.

How is this going, Al? It's been a while.

[Al Swearegen]

Doing well. I was surprised.

There is one ladder-climber in the team that I have been clashing with rather loudly with unfortunately. She sees me as competition and perhaps as someone that could derail her imagined justified and meteoric rise in the company.

It does make things a bit dicey. She is fortunately very self-invested and everyone is waking up to her.

As the work is looking to increase 300% in the next six months and we are scrambling to keep up with it now, they are looking to outsource most of the low key work offshore and we get to do the more technical stuff. I am looking to help arrange this. I have been asked to and will put some proposals in place so that the staff who are offshore do a job of collection of data mostly. So in doing so they need to know what to ask and what to prioritise and such. I also have to consider what the various managers may go for, what the customers would be able to put up with (ie their 60-70% first contact fix and dealing with a knowledgeable trained onshore as to what will be someone offshore who is likely to give very limited assistance), what the new team will be able to transition too and easily trained up for process-wise, and also what will if not streamline things for us, then at least make it viable in the medium term and long term.

It is "interesting" times.

Thanks for asking

[renaeden]

Sounds like it's not getting any easier! I hope it's not too much stress for you. Sounds complicated as well.

[Al Swearegen]

Sounds like it's not getting any easier! I hope it's not too much stress for you. Sounds complicated as well.

Long-term I think it will be okay. Short term it is not going to be fun. Especially with this other person. She will both seek to derail me and propose counter solutions that she can take credit for and will benefit her. She has started sowing seeds and has her nose out of joint from last time we clashed and she got humiliated. Bad blood. Essentially she wants to elevate herself and "our role" as a much more specialist and niche role because then we can make a case for the role being on a higher pay level and nicer title. It is very self-invested and a terrible idea on so many levels. Top of the list is that the company have laid off heaps of people and she is trying to find a way to trick or slyly play management into placing them into a position where they are forced into elevating us or scuttling the whole idea, The guys in the team we split from who were promised they would not be disadvantaged from the split will revolt against this (not that she would give a shit), I would be able to meet that standard and she would but no one else in our team likely could (again not that she would give a shit, but I would and would likely waste my time trying to try to help the others at my expense).

So short term between that and getting it across the managers and them all on board is going to be ugh.

Midterm all the problems we never accounted for or expected and all the challenged we fail to meet will be exposed and band aided and have knock on effects and we will scramble trying to bed down the practices and processes.

Long term I think it will be good. I think long term we will all be better off.

[Al Swearegen]

Well.....my supervisor is going into a technical role. This will mean that his supervisor role will be getting advertised.
My "competitor" in the team has tried co-opting my training role a bit. She is like a virus - hard to contain. The problem is she had already been interviewed for a higher duties tech role and according to her well placed to get it but if she doesn't get it my supervisor's role will come up and she WILL apply and the two best placed to get it will be her and me.

This means if she does not get this role away then she will become my supervisor.

if you are wondering if I know how she would get it above me, I will not be applying. Fuck being a supervisor. Fuck all pay increase and heaps more responsibility and stress. Since my heart attack I keep work stress to a minimum.

The problem is that she WILL be a good supervisor if she gets it BUT her attitude is fucked and I have butted heads really hard with her and will have to a few times again and it will make things awkward. Not great for the team. It is hard to show yourself to be a reliable, friendly and approachable, if you are getting aggro with a senior member and having one on ones with the manager and being angry.

It is not the image I cultivate at work. It is not my framework. I am the easy-going, humorous, aloof guy that everyone gets on but no one really knows and I don't therefore know anyone else. This interaction even if necessary is stressful and pretty fucked all around.

["couldbecousin"]

Well.....my supervisor is going into a technical role. This will mean that his supervisor role will be getting advertised.
My "competitor" in the team has tried co-opting my training role a bit. She is like a virus - hard to contain. The problem is she had already been interviewed for a higher duties tech role and according to her well placed to get it but if she doesn't get it my supervisor's role will come up and she WILL apply and the two best placed to get it will be her and me.

This means if she does not get this role away then she will become my supervisor.

if you are wondering if I know how she would get it above me, I will not be applying. Fuck being a supervisor. Fuck all pay increase and heaps more responsibility and stress. Since my heart attack I keep work stress to a minimum.

The problem is that she WILL be a good supervisor if she gets it BUT her attitude is fucked and I have butted heads really hard with her and will have to a few times again and it will make things awkward. Not great for the team. It is hard to show yourself to be a reliable, friendly and approachable, if you are getting aggro with a senior member and having one on ones with the manager and being angry.

It is not the image I cultivate at work. It is not my framework. I am the easy-going, humorous, aloof guy that everyone gets on but no one really knows and I don't therefore know anyone else. This interaction even if necessary is stressful and pretty fucked all around.

  Any way to avoid the head-butting, maybe by going "Gray Rock" on her? 

[Al Swearegen]

Well.....my supervisor is going into a technical role. This will mean that his supervisor role will be getting advertised.
My "competitor" in the team has tried co-opting my training role a bit. She is like a virus - hard to contain. The problem is she had already been interviewed for a higher duties tech role and according to her well placed to get it but if she doesn't get it my supervisor's role will come up and she WILL apply and the two best placed to get it will be her and me.

This means if she does not get this role away then she will become my supervisor.

if you are wondering if I know how she would get it above me, I will not be applying. Fuck being a supervisor. Fuck all pay increase and heaps more responsibility and stress. Since my heart attack I keep work stress to a minimum.

The problem is that she WILL be a good supervisor if she gets it BUT her attitude is fucked and I have butted heads really hard with her and will have to a few times again and it will make things awkward. Not great for the team. It is hard to show yourself to be a reliable, friendly and approachable, if you are getting aggro with a senior member and having one on ones with the manager and being angry.

It is not the image I cultivate at work. It is not my framework. I am the easy-going, humorous, aloof guy that everyone gets on but no one really knows and I don't therefore know anyone else. This interaction even if necessary is stressful and pretty fucked all around.

  Any way to avoid the head-butting, maybe by going "Gray Rock" on her? 

No, not really. I will hope she gets the job.

One of the newer guys there (Been there 2 months - we have blown out from 4 to 12 in 6 months) said when she was away on holidays "When will (she) be back?"
I asked "Why mate, you missing her?"
He recoiled "HELL NO!!!"
I laughed my arse off. I downplayed it and said she was a but difficult but that she had some good ideas and was knowledgeable and such"
He said she made him feel like an idiot when he went to her for help. The truth is that is her all over. She is all about her. I am not that guy.
We deal with two products I am really good at one and so is she and to the same level. She is pretty good at the other and I am completely retarded at the other, even after 18 months of exposure. She is also one of these people who makes a song and dance of every slight variation of policy, process, procedure or practice makes everything a drama. She has to be everyone's business and across all things and be noticed. I am COMPLETELY not that guy.

No we WILL butt heads for a time and eventually it will settle down. I will not get any pushback from anyone for it but it is awkward and I hate awkward.

['andersom']

How you describe it, you should be the one getting the job. That is, if the company wants their employees to stay relatively healthy. (that job of yours is not the most healthy job in the world)

It's the supervisor who can motivate, but who also can keep stress levels low and atmosphere pleasant who will be getting the most motivated employees and the most consistent output.

The way you describe her, she'd be burning through people, getting maximum outcome from everyone. But also unmotivated workers. And probably lots more who will either leave for another job or because of illness.

I'm rooting for wisdom in the ones making this decision.

[Pyraxis]

Yeah from what you've described of her, she doesn't sound like a particularly good supervisor.

That said, I totally get not wanting the supervisor job yourself. It's basically the same reasons I never want one.

[Al Swearegen]

Yeah from what you've described of her, she doesn't sound like a particularly good supervisor.

That said, I totally get not wanting the supervisor job yourself. It's basically the same reasons I never want one.

Yes I do not see that it is worth the extra money.

I mean I also get entirely why she may want it. It promotes her credibility, gives her a step on her promotional run, gives her the ability to lord over other her authority. I hope rather than believe that this may actually change her demeanour. MAYBE having the kind of power and recognition she obviously craves will make her a happier and more complete person and not the hyper-competitive, pedantic, bossy, person trying to one-up everyone and make the place wrap around her desires and thoughts. I have my doubts.

Still maybe she will get the other job she applied for and it will be a moot point