SKETCHES OF LIFE: HOME

sCreAm!

Identity

What’s your GEEK level

As social media evolves, the social/dating landscape inevitable evolves. I find myself more interested in getting a facebook profile access versus getting a number. I am not at number 3 (the RSS feed level) yet, but I can’t help but think that as the world evolves, everybody will have a webpage and RSS feeds will be the new facebook…AND THEN I WOKE UP!

The Kreative Department

Caption this and win $25.00 courtesy http://ofilispeaks.com

Deadline August 1st, 2010

More People Create More Work!

I’ve worked with different organizations over the years and I have often noticed a similar trend…the more people involved in a process the more work that seems to be created. I am not saying people are bad resources in a company/organization, but there is an optimal level after which people become redundant…and rather than work load reducing from an increased number of people, it actually increases! This increase is greatly magnified when the optimal level is broken at the managerial level…all of a sudden more approval levels are required to complete a simple task.

This phenomenon was first observed by Major Parkinson in 1944 during the war between the English and Germans. As a high ranking officer of his base, major Parkinson was engulfed in a ton of critical paper work that was vital to the war. But as if things were not difficult enough the chief of base and the air vice-marshal both go on leave and then his deputy, an army colonel falls ill leaving Major Parkinson to run his base alone. An already gargantuan task now magnified immensely by the absence of 3 critical officers.

But something peculiar happened…Nothing. Rather than being overwhelmed by work, the paper work completely ceases and the war progresses without issue! According the Major Parkinson “There had never been anything to do. We’d just been making work for each other.”

A sentence, that summarizes a critical issue faced amongst large corporations across the globe in today’s world. The solution requires a skilled leader, one who strives to get his organization to operate at an optimal level as opposed to a leader who simply creates more positions and roles in order to fill a non-existent work void. Focus on the optimal and your organization will excel!

Don’t Make Assumptions

Almost every problem in life is caused by an assumption or a sum of assumptions that have built up steadily and quietly inside the minds of individuals. Unfortunately we as a society are all but addicted to assumptions. It is an easy way for us to judge people without actually doing the work that is necessary in getting to know/understand them.

Assumptions are an extreme danger to any organization as they are hidden and are rarely detected, until it is too late…The only way to mitigate assumptions and protect your organization is to encourage open communication as often as possible. But this requires more than just a set of policies on communication, it would require action that begins with YOU. Ensure that you speak with integrity at all times and strive to encourage open communication at all times. Engage your co-workers and subordinates in discourse, especially those that you are not comfortable with. And if you have the ability create events where communication is encouraged. Examples of such events are team building activities or social events where people are able to interact in a relaxed setting.

Remember assumptions are invisible but through a deliberate effort to encourage communication within your organization you will be able to mitigate and potential eliminate assumptions from killing your organization. In the words of Don Miguel Ruiz:

“We have the tendency to make assumptions about everything. The problem with making assumptions is that we believe they are the truth. We could swear they are real. We make assumptions about what others are doing or thinking — we take it personally — then we blame them and react by sending emotional poison with our word. That is why whenever we make assumptions, we are asking for problems. We make an assumption, we misunderstand, we take it personally, and we end up creating a whole big drama for nothing.”
~Excerpt from “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz

Beware Of Cute Ninjas

Don’t be fooled by a cute face or sweet words. The nicest people on the outside will cut your heart in a second. Focus on their character…you have been warned!

The truth about quality

“QUALITY means doing it right when no one is looking.” ~ Henry Ford

“PROMOTION is doing it right when your boss is looking.” ~ Ofili

People Are Idiots & I Can Prove It

We as a people are addicted and attracted to BS. No one is more addicted than Corporate America!

Everyone reading this has probably been in a meeting, where people are talking just to impress…while the people making sense are drowned out by the noises of perceived intelligence…as they blah blah blah blah blah…

And the ironic thing is that the more they blah, the more their level of perceived intelligence rises.

“Focus on the answer not the words around the answer”

All Men Are Evil!

I still struggle to figure out women…they would rip a guy over and over and over again, only to be madly interested in him…not to mention the other women that are on an all out war against every single man on earth…can’t we all just get along =)

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The Loops

The endless loops of our imagination…

Things Remembered

When it comes to remembering dates I am the worst at it. From forgetting my Mum’s birthday to nearly forgetting my own graduation date. Thus it is not a surprise that I get in trouble a LOT!

The funny thing is that I tend to remember weird dates =)

Credit is evil…

Cash is always King!

Don’t Take Crap

Quick reminder: It’s good to be nice, but sometimes you have to quit the niceness, draw the line and stand your ground! If not you’ll end up mentally exhausted and frustrated.

Remember: Don’t take CRAP =)

Life Is Short

At 3:00 am at night I was driving down a long narrow road, when out of nowhere I saw a car in my rear view mirror swerving and speeding dangerously. Instinctively I slowed down and let it go by…

I continue driving down the road, now oblivious to the mysterious swerving car…only for my drive to be interrupted by a RED street light bringing me to an abrupt halt…and right at the stop light was the same car!

Despite it’s reckless speed and my slow/precautionary driving we both were at the same spot.

When I got home all I could think about were the many stupid things we all tend to do behind the wheel. From texting while driving to speeding unnecessarily…two activities that at that moment appear important but  on the long run are quite trivial. When was the last time a text was so important that we would risk our lives to send it? As I went to bed that night, the last words on my mind were “LIFE IS SHORT”

Everyone Needs A Vacation

I was drowning in a pool overflowing with work deadlines and family responsibilities.  Barely able to find enough time to breathe…I needed a break and fast!

We’ve all been there before…our lives seem like an endless revolution of work, work and more work. Leaving us with an empty feeling of helplessness.

This is exactly how I felt a month ago as I struggled to keep up with my own responsibilities. I needed a vacation! Not an expensive trip to an exotic Caribbean island, but rather a relaxing time away from stress. And I found it by simply switching off my cellphone and enjoying a book at the local coffee shop. A simple act that was able to revitalize my mind and rescue me from my pool of stress.

Fortunately, we all have the power to create our own little vacation moments. It could be time out jogging in the park or simply time away from our cellphones.Whatever our decision one thing is for certain…EVERYONE NEEDS A VACATION to stay afloat in life!

It Only Takes One YES

One of my lasting memories in college was the annual career fair. That was when you would polish up your resumes and pass it out to prospective employers for a stint in corporate America, as an Intern or Full Time employee. I attended the career fairs diligently every year and must have passed out my resume to more than a thousand companies. And each time I passed out my resume I received the same answer…NO…NO…NO….“We can’t hire you because you don’t have enough experience” or my all time favorite “We can’t hire you because you are an international student.”

But despite all the no’s it took only one yes to get me into the door…it was an offer that happened outside the career fair from a company that somehow believed I could be an asset to them. And that yes has been responsible for my professional career success to date.

So remember, in life we will encounter a lot of NO’s but it only takes one YES!

Credit Is Evil

To me CREDIT cards are an evil empire set up to ensure that people suffer subconsciously. It is touted as a fundamental necessity to life by numerous multi-billion dollar companies waiting eagerly to suck our money and lives away…ETERNALLY…

Stay away from Credit!

Engineer’s Night Out

So I’ve spent the last 7 days working on a new website template for http://ofilisketches.com and in doing so I have endured a mandatory crash course in wordpress css programming. My mind has been so wired to wordpress that everywhere I go I seem to see code…and I’ve barely done any real programming…how ironic!

I can’t help but think about the thoughts in the heads of other engineers…

The Immigrants Eye Test

From A1 to O1, you have a multitude of visa classes. Some are for professional workers, others are for the extra talented. An immigrant can switch from one class to the other in a span of less than a year depending on their situation. I personally think the whole VISA class system is set up by the government to just mess with us…