I have been kicked upstairs...

Sorry, been a while !!

It is going pretty well I think. I have finally structred my team. Have got 4 direct reports and the rest of the team under them - need to have as little touch points into me - as most of my time goes in upwards and sidewards management - plus the learning. Every day I learn something new abt my dept !! And some of it does cause some surprises !!

The biggest battle I am facing is the promises which were made on behalf of the group, and which I am struggling to deliver - simply because they were the easy way out, the least complex solution, without doing any impact analysis.

Priortising, and restructing has also saved me $250,000 in the month of January alone (projected over 2004) and I am looking to do even more cost saves, but bringing in some efficiency, a radical change in thinking in the way we do our work. Have submitted a proposal to the senior management, which if approved, will save us $1.5 million by mid 2005, though it will entail some cuts, and being more aggressive with the business and operational partners.

There are several things which I have made very clear to my team. I will not compromise on delivery and quality. If we commit a date, then that date will not slip, come what may. And when we deliver, it has to be quality stuff. technology has a reputation of cutting corners, not doing enough testing, and delivering sub-standard solutions to the business. I want that image to change. Delivering poor quaility stuff not only is bad for the business, it makes the user lose faith in us - and then anything we try and do, we face an uphill battle. The other discipline which I am trying to bring in is to keep the customer in mind always. Most of the time hard core technologists focus too much on technology without giving much thought to the preception of the end user - our customers. And this has to change.

It is uphill all the way. I think I am liked, though I have been called a task master to my face but hey this is a new regime!!

G-I can't believe I have only heard the news -please forgive me

Jolly well done chap.

Do not worry about being liked, worry about what you think of them.

I have had a series of GM posts over the years and the best piece of advice I casn give is lead from the front, always tell the truth. Always under promise and over deliver, never the other way around.


Support your team in public, even if the are wrong sometimes, then give them hell in private-they won't do it again.

People will respect you for your work ethic and your honesty.

Enjoy

That's what I call a compliment. Not only does this employee realize that you are no wishy-washy manager, and that you expect them to really work, but he feels enough to say it directly to you and not behind your back, which shows he has respect for you.

Gautam
I have only one response to the quality of the job you are doing as well as the clarity of your report to us:

GAUTAM ROCKS!

Congratulations for starting out superbly, listening and learning!

BBB

Doubled

Hey - if that's ALL they call you, you must be doing something right! Remember - you're only there because things were bad! If they were already just fine and dandy, you would not have been brought in!

To use Noddy's phrase - Hold your dominion!

And Noddy says, "Hold your dominion." Obviously you were born to be Lord of the Manor.

Either I am doing something right, or my boss thinks I am not busy enough....

Have been given additional responsibilities for France today morning... (no pay hike though )

Heh, oui, ce bon! Cordialles félicitations et bonne change à l'autre côté du Pas de Calais!!!

edited (twice), since that d***ed French pic doesn't show up

Better polish up my french !!

Start with French kisses :wink:

Walter, your emails are becoming very saucy.

gautam mon ami, c'est formidable-continuez a progresser

Gautam--

Your mother must be bursting with pride and serving you third and fourth helpings with the Indian version of whipped cream.

Congratulations! Hold your dominion.

It looks like Walter needs to brush up also unless they are typos.

's that mean you'll be going there a lot (or a lot more, even, perhaps)?

lucky you!

london is cool ... but paris is niiice

Walter doesn't take time to correct his typing, he just gets on with it.
It makes things more interesting, I think.

How is your German, by the way? Or can you express yourself well in another language? Walter can.

Gautam, Sorry for the late recognition, but CONGRATS to you! A little anxiety and adrenalin is good for you; it keeps you on your toes, and the learning curve is reduced by 50 percent. You'll do just fine, Gautam. You've got the intelligence and spunk to move your team to new heights.

Mctag-My knowledge of German does not go beyond the few words and expressions known by many plus a few additional words I remember from a college course in technical German. I can get by in French though my vocabulary is limited and my grammar is horrible. I believe you took as a put down of Walter what was meant to be a lift for Gautam who expressed a need to brush up on his French.

Well in that case I apologise, flyboy804.

No hard feelings I hope.

There are a few bilingual and indeed multilingual contributors here, and my admiration for them knows no bounds. I have tried to learn German myself, with only fairly limited success.