Time for the non-filler post of the night...

Today was another good day, even with the distractions and barriers being thrown up all over the place.

Our systems were having problems at work today. The bankers usually love this because they don't have the resources available to complete their jobs and get a bit of a break, but as a supervisor it is annoying. The numbers don't stop just because the computers did and I have to run around trying to get the systems working again. Oh well. By the end of the night we were back up and running and everyone's mood was happy.

Two people at work left early tonight because of illnesses. One is a friend of mine from the old team, a guy who started out pretty negative but turned around and is a joy to be around. He hurt himself at his day job. I felt so bad for him, watching him try to walk without sending shooting pains up his back. I always wish I had the ability to instantly heal people. Feeling bad is the worst thing in the world to me and I always want to take away pain.

The other person who left early was Steve. I felt so bad for him. He is still trying to recover fully from his surgery this past summer and today was not a great day for him. He is battling allergies (and I didn't say this to him, but he was sneezing today and he has the most un-guy-like sneeze I've ever heard! It's so quiet and polite.) He also thinks he ate something that wasn't top-notch and he was so pale. I told him to go lay down for awhile and he ended up leaving after regaining some composure. Our team is always over-protective of Steve (we're mostly women) and when he doesn't feel bad, I go into instant nurture mode.

One of the bankers on my team, a rock star performer if I've ever seen one in the banking industry, said some really nice compliments to me today. When I was telling her that Steve went home, she said, "I feel so lucky to be on this team. We all are because you're so different than most managers." I looked really confused here, I'm sure. She followed up with, "You actually care about how we are. When someone is sick, you don't force them to be on the phones. You ask them what we should do." Now, I do care about getting the business done, but to me it makes no sense to have someone working if they can't physically do the job. If they are sick and can't concentrate, it makes no sense to have them helping customers and making themselves sicker and providing less than perfect service for their customers. I don't want Steve to work himself so hard that he ends up in the hospital. And I do care how he (and the team) feels. I felt good about this compliment.

She also approached me at the end of the night and we were talking about what a great job Steve is doing as a team lead. She said to me, "You two get along great. You really compliment each other's styles and it helps us all feel like we're on a team."

As we were talking, she asked about how the team lead hiring process went. She was in training when I hired Steve but she knows that I worked without a lead for a few weeks. I told her about interviewing people and having to make a decision. I explained the approval process and how I was so anxious to offer the position to Steve. She said, "It must have been interesting to offer to someone you knew so well." This is where I was puzzled.

The banker thought Steve and I had worked together in our previous positions for a long time. I was explaining to her that I didn't really know Steve at all before he applied for the job. I remember, only because DM pointed it out, that there was a guy who had pink hair, but he was a daytime banker and I worked nights. I didn't even remember this until after I interviewed him. I actually thought the fact that she believed us to know each other longer is quite the compliment. That means it seems natural to work together and it shows. When a supervisor/team lead combination is not comfortable, the bankers feel it.

Tomorrow is Thursday and my busy day at work. I have a supervisor meeting with my boss (and other supervisors) when I first get to work. Then I have an hour of meetings with my boss. I also have an interview scheduled for right after my meeting with the boss. I'll probably take calls for a banker and try to help another supervisor with writing a review for a banker from the old team. I hope that Steve is feeling better and is back at work. That would make my day much easier. After work is the Thursday night karaoke at the Chalet with DM.

That's my day. I have a ton of MEMEs below if you're interested.