This was our first full week of work since the maestro left town. Two weeks ago tonight I wondered what we were going to do. Were we going to keep going? Were we going to survive? What was going to happen?
I still have a lot of questions and concerns about how we’re going to continue for the long-term, but… As for the short term… the group did 20% more in production this week than the last week that the maestro was here.
Wow! I don’t even know what to say to this feat!
People amaze me! Entry 48 titled “People… the worst, the best, the hopeful!” says it all.
Mary, Juan and the rest of the gang did an incredible job.
In the midst of our first endeavor into producing our own products, we begin construction next week of our second factory. We will begin to make the family’s famous Santa Rosa Candles at the company’s home office.
On Thursday of next week the State of Guanajato Mexico is coming to visit our grabado plant to see what we’re doing in terms of hiring disabled individuals and possibly helping us use our facility for vocational rehabilitation, long-term employment.
Tonight we meet with one of the local maestros of grabado and next week another. These are on-going meetings. We’re proceeding with caution. We don’t want to make the same mistake over with another maestro. We’re looking for the best fit for our people, goals and dreams.
For now the future looks promising.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
(50th Entry) A milestone…
Wow! My 50th entry… For someone who has had so many in-completed projects in life, this is indeed a milestone. I use the word in-completed because in school when you didn’t quite finish the curriculum you were given an incomplete. So… in-completed seems to me to be a good word to use.
So… in case you didn’t notice… this was going to be entry #49 except when I was going back through my earlier entries I found that I had two entries labeled… 38th Entry… so! Now this becomes number 50….
After all of the turmoil of the last couple of weeks I feel a little lost. We’re still trying to recover from not having a maestro on site, but we have found a couple of possibilities. Hopefully one will work out.
It seems as if I’ve taken a little vacation from the blog. Now it’s time to get back on track. There’s still so much to write about.
It’s easy to stay motivated when things are going good and even possible to stay motivated during times of crisis like the previous couple of weeks… however sometimes when the crisis is over there seems to be a lull for me. This past weekend I took the time to examine all of my projects and try to get organized… again. It was a time for me to re-examine my priorities which seem to change as life changes.
Trying to create jobs for disabled individuals at the two factories still remains a priority at the top of the list. All of the items on the Mission Statement are priorities… some will just take a little longer to realize than others.
So…on Saturday I’ll post my next entry and I’ll make a concerted effort to write four new postings per week at a minimum. I hope to also add video clips within the next two weeks as well. This will definitely add another dimension to the blog…
So hopefully you’ll hang in there and keep reading. Also pass it along to others that you know as well.
As well as being the 50th Entry I also believe that the blog is celebrating the end of its fourth month… 1/3 of a year…
So… in case you didn’t notice… this was going to be entry #49 except when I was going back through my earlier entries I found that I had two entries labeled… 38th Entry… so! Now this becomes number 50….
After all of the turmoil of the last couple of weeks I feel a little lost. We’re still trying to recover from not having a maestro on site, but we have found a couple of possibilities. Hopefully one will work out.
It seems as if I’ve taken a little vacation from the blog. Now it’s time to get back on track. There’s still so much to write about.
It’s easy to stay motivated when things are going good and even possible to stay motivated during times of crisis like the previous couple of weeks… however sometimes when the crisis is over there seems to be a lull for me. This past weekend I took the time to examine all of my projects and try to get organized… again. It was a time for me to re-examine my priorities which seem to change as life changes.
Trying to create jobs for disabled individuals at the two factories still remains a priority at the top of the list. All of the items on the Mission Statement are priorities… some will just take a little longer to realize than others.
So…on Saturday I’ll post my next entry and I’ll make a concerted effort to write four new postings per week at a minimum. I hope to also add video clips within the next two weeks as well. This will definitely add another dimension to the blog…
So hopefully you’ll hang in there and keep reading. Also pass it along to others that you know as well.
As well as being the 50th Entry I also believe that the blog is celebrating the end of its fourth month… 1/3 of a year…
Monday, March 24, 2008
(49th Entry) Life, issues and going on…
I’ve taken a few days to recharge my batteries. Things have been hectic for the past several weeks with lots of issues, problems, ups and downs. The other night I went to bed at 5:30 in the evening and slept until 6:00 a.m. the next morning. Of course after that I was tired to two days but I’m now ready to begin another week. Last night I reviewed my calendar, computer and note cards to begin to get re-organized for the upcoming week.
I have many projects going on simultaneously. In fact some people that know might tell you I have way too many projects. The problem is… life is short and I have a lot I want to accomplish.
Today I have to focus on… to many things to mention! But I have my list and priorities.
A few days ago Mary, Juan and I took another maestro of grabado to the factory to visit. He seemed very interested and in fact talked of wanting a full time job. Mary and I left Juan and him out there “to play” on the equipment. I’m anxious to hear from Juan his impression. I expressed to Mary that I want Juan to have some time with his current employees to make sure that we’ve actually resolved some problems or are at least heading in the right direction before introducing any other individuals.
I wanted to at least get a short entry out this morning.
More to follow soon…
I have many projects going on simultaneously. In fact some people that know might tell you I have way too many projects. The problem is… life is short and I have a lot I want to accomplish.
Today I have to focus on… to many things to mention! But I have my list and priorities.
A few days ago Mary, Juan and I took another maestro of grabado to the factory to visit. He seemed very interested and in fact talked of wanting a full time job. Mary and I left Juan and him out there “to play” on the equipment. I’m anxious to hear from Juan his impression. I expressed to Mary that I want Juan to have some time with his current employees to make sure that we’ve actually resolved some problems or are at least heading in the right direction before introducing any other individuals.
I wanted to at least get a short entry out this morning.
More to follow soon…
Thursday, March 20, 2008
(48th Entry) People… the worst, the best, the hopeful!
It’s 5:00 am. I tossed and turned all night; finally deciding to get up. Yesterday, although only Wednesday, was the end of our work week. We’re taking four days off for Easter. It’s been a long stressful week with many ups and downs.
The title of this entry reveals it all. The incentive bonuses were announced on Monday. Tuesday morning as I road to work with Mary, we talked. We shared our frustration, ideas and concerns. We decided to meet with Juan, the grabado manager early that morning. When he walked in I said to him, “The girls haven’t listened at all.” He was surprised that I didn’t even have to ask. The three of us had a really good meeting. I think he realized that Mary and I were behind him no matter how difficult it might get or it had been.
By Tuesday morning I was ready to accept any outcome. I told Juan and Mary that we had several possibilities on how to proceed with the two girls. We could bring them in and confront them or simply do nothing until the end of the first bonus period at which time they find out that they received no bonus. The latter we get some production and possibly peer pressure… those that talked of getting their bonuses would possibly change the girls behavior from that point on. It also happened that one of the girls was out that morning so it gave us insight to their behavior. Without both girls being there the younger was listening and working together with the team.
When the second girl arrived mid-afternoon, both girls behavior went back to their normal routine. Mary just happened to be in the warehouse when some events were unfolding and confronted both girls in front of their peers. At closing time, in the middle of Mary trying to do a shipment, both girls came into the office. Again they had brought their production cards to her and not to their supervisor. To make a long story shorter, she just told them how disappointed she was in them and expressed many of the ideas and issues which we had discussed in the previous days. I watched this conversation from a distance, not saying anything, but being present in case I was needed.
I very seldom see Mary upset, but after this encounter it was obvious that she was. Again we had the opportunity to talk on our way back to town that evening. I expressed to her that I actually was optimistic. As I watched the conversation and was able to watch both sides and see the emotions of all, I had a good feeling. Both girls said that they would return to work the next day… and they did.
Yesterday… Mary, Juan and I met in the morning. Juan expressed what we had come to find out. When the one girl was alone, she listened, worked hard and once the other returned… old behaviors again took place. However… he said that this day, Wednesday, all had been listening… although at times reluctant… but were listening and working. The three of us decided that if nothing bad had taken place by 2:30, Mary and I would talk to both girls one at a time and begin to give them some positive feedback.
Around 3:00 we called the younger of the two girls into my office. We basically gave her the opportunity to speak first. She began by saying that she wanted to apologize to us, that she had been a bad employee and had done many things wrong. Along the way she expressed that the maestro had told the two of them that they ought to ask for more money and that once he left we wouldn’t be able to stay in business without the two of them or him. I’ll stop at that although much more was revealed… it just doesn’t matter.
I was visibly upset during this encounter and I believe Mary was too. I felt like I had been raped by the maestro, a man that I had invited into my house, a man that I thought was honorable. Hindsight as they say… Well in hindsight… here’s a man who is good at grabado, but had no work when found him. All of the other old men in Guadalajara at his age and level of expertise have 6, 8 or 10 individuals working for them. El maestro es el Diablo as far as I’m concerned and I’ll leave it at that.
Mary and I had good talks with both girls although the first (and the reason she was the first…) was I think what she said was much more heartfelt and authentic. The first girl left our meeting and without any guidance went immediately to Juan, her supervisor and apologized to him as well.
First, I am very proud of Mary… for how she walked her way through these events. We talked… we shared our experiences, frustrations and desires, but when the moment presented itself she seized the opportunity. I told her the Latin phrase carpe diem when she was apologizing to me Tuesday evening for not being able to keep me informed of what was going on.
Second, I’m sad! I always tell Mary that her job is to make employees better employees and thus better individuals. But I also tell her that her job is to keep our employees safe. While I think we’re succeeding at the former, we failed with the later. We put two young girls who had never worked before into an environment that was absolutely unacceptable, unhealthy and un-safe. I have not even begun to mention the Hell that we’ve put Juan through. Once we made Juan supervisor, Gabrielle not only ignored Juan, but ignored his wife as well. He refused to teach them both from that point on.
I’ve seen the best in people this week. I’ve seen hope that restores my faith in people. And… I’ve seen the worst… el diablo!
A short blog entry can not begin to express my feelings and emotions… As I told Mary and Juan yesterday… this isn’t over. We’re probably just beginning the uphill struggle with the two girls. You can’t take 5 months of negative, destructive programming and expect it to disappear overnight. BUT… We’ve taken steps to correct our mistakes and as we admitted to and apologized to the two girls… we told them that they two have to take responsibility for theirs. That’s all any of us can do…
The title of this entry reveals it all. The incentive bonuses were announced on Monday. Tuesday morning as I road to work with Mary, we talked. We shared our frustration, ideas and concerns. We decided to meet with Juan, the grabado manager early that morning. When he walked in I said to him, “The girls haven’t listened at all.” He was surprised that I didn’t even have to ask. The three of us had a really good meeting. I think he realized that Mary and I were behind him no matter how difficult it might get or it had been.
By Tuesday morning I was ready to accept any outcome. I told Juan and Mary that we had several possibilities on how to proceed with the two girls. We could bring them in and confront them or simply do nothing until the end of the first bonus period at which time they find out that they received no bonus. The latter we get some production and possibly peer pressure… those that talked of getting their bonuses would possibly change the girls behavior from that point on. It also happened that one of the girls was out that morning so it gave us insight to their behavior. Without both girls being there the younger was listening and working together with the team.
When the second girl arrived mid-afternoon, both girls behavior went back to their normal routine. Mary just happened to be in the warehouse when some events were unfolding and confronted both girls in front of their peers. At closing time, in the middle of Mary trying to do a shipment, both girls came into the office. Again they had brought their production cards to her and not to their supervisor. To make a long story shorter, she just told them how disappointed she was in them and expressed many of the ideas and issues which we had discussed in the previous days. I watched this conversation from a distance, not saying anything, but being present in case I was needed.
I very seldom see Mary upset, but after this encounter it was obvious that she was. Again we had the opportunity to talk on our way back to town that evening. I expressed to her that I actually was optimistic. As I watched the conversation and was able to watch both sides and see the emotions of all, I had a good feeling. Both girls said that they would return to work the next day… and they did.
Yesterday… Mary, Juan and I met in the morning. Juan expressed what we had come to find out. When the one girl was alone, she listened, worked hard and once the other returned… old behaviors again took place. However… he said that this day, Wednesday, all had been listening… although at times reluctant… but were listening and working. The three of us decided that if nothing bad had taken place by 2:30, Mary and I would talk to both girls one at a time and begin to give them some positive feedback.
Around 3:00 we called the younger of the two girls into my office. We basically gave her the opportunity to speak first. She began by saying that she wanted to apologize to us, that she had been a bad employee and had done many things wrong. Along the way she expressed that the maestro had told the two of them that they ought to ask for more money and that once he left we wouldn’t be able to stay in business without the two of them or him. I’ll stop at that although much more was revealed… it just doesn’t matter.
I was visibly upset during this encounter and I believe Mary was too. I felt like I had been raped by the maestro, a man that I had invited into my house, a man that I thought was honorable. Hindsight as they say… Well in hindsight… here’s a man who is good at grabado, but had no work when found him. All of the other old men in Guadalajara at his age and level of expertise have 6, 8 or 10 individuals working for them. El maestro es el Diablo as far as I’m concerned and I’ll leave it at that.
Mary and I had good talks with both girls although the first (and the reason she was the first…) was I think what she said was much more heartfelt and authentic. The first girl left our meeting and without any guidance went immediately to Juan, her supervisor and apologized to him as well.
First, I am very proud of Mary… for how she walked her way through these events. We talked… we shared our experiences, frustrations and desires, but when the moment presented itself she seized the opportunity. I told her the Latin phrase carpe diem when she was apologizing to me Tuesday evening for not being able to keep me informed of what was going on.
Second, I’m sad! I always tell Mary that her job is to make employees better employees and thus better individuals. But I also tell her that her job is to keep our employees safe. While I think we’re succeeding at the former, we failed with the later. We put two young girls who had never worked before into an environment that was absolutely unacceptable, unhealthy and un-safe. I have not even begun to mention the Hell that we’ve put Juan through. Once we made Juan supervisor, Gabrielle not only ignored Juan, but ignored his wife as well. He refused to teach them both from that point on.
I’ve seen the best in people this week. I’ve seen hope that restores my faith in people. And… I’ve seen the worst… el diablo!
A short blog entry can not begin to express my feelings and emotions… As I told Mary and Juan yesterday… this isn’t over. We’re probably just beginning the uphill struggle with the two girls. You can’t take 5 months of negative, destructive programming and expect it to disappear overnight. BUT… We’ve taken steps to correct our mistakes and as we admitted to and apologized to the two girls… we told them that they two have to take responsibility for theirs. That’s all any of us can do…
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
(47th Entry) the beginning of a new week…
Where to start… Actually we worked Saturday so that our employees could have Maundy Thursday as well as Good Friday off… or a four day weekend which ever you prefer to call it. Mary, my office manager, and I have had a difficult couple of weeks with a few of our employees and our grabado (glass carving) consultant, so we were hoping that this week might get better…
The problem and then the solution… one can only hope!
The two girls that know how to do the grabado the best and have been doing it for several months now continue to be a problem for Mary and their supervisor Juan (last paragraph of entry #43). They’re 16 and 18 and were heavily influenced by Gabrielle, the maestro of grabado, who just left. They’re from the campo, country-side, outside of San Miguel. They feel that anyone who is not better than them at grabado can not be their supervisor. Is this something that they actual feel or something that Gabrielle told them. This is one question. Or is it something else? It’s so difficult to know.
The easy way out might be to just fire them for insubordination. Of course then we lose what little production capacity we have until we find another maestro. One option is to outsource to Gabrielle now that he’s back in his home for a short time. Mary hates this idea because it rewards someone who didn’t fulfill there promise to us and showed us no respect.
My concern is… keeping the business going!
Today we announced that we were implementing a performance/incentive bonus. The main focus of the bonus, and the one item that could determine whether someone gets their bonus or not was respect… respecting their supervisor and respecting their fellow employees. As we told the employees about this new bonus we could see the expression on both of the girls faces. It was obvious to us that they knew why we were doing this. We were hoping this would make the difference and change the behavior, but…
At the end of the day they brought their production cards to Mary which should have gone to Juan. This gives me the impression that they didn’t “get it”! Or simply refuse!
I’ve been extremely frustrated since leaving work. I’m disappointed. As I’ve told Mary, part of the problem was our fault. We didn’t put the girls in an environment to be successful and to be taught good behaviors since this is their first job. I feel we need to do our part to rectify the situation, but at the same time it was apparent in the meeting yesterday that they know right from wrong. Ultimately they must decide what they are going to do.
I feel for Juan. After being made supervisor Gabrielle ignored him. He didn’t continue teaching him and even worse he took it out on Juan’s wife as well. He ignored her and didn’t work with her after that point.
We have a new employee who started last week named Juan Miguel… many, many people with the name Juan in Mexico. On his first day, Gabrielle said that it was as if he had been here three weeks. He has lots of potential. He came to us through a government organization that helps disabled individuals. He lost his last job because his manager didn’t like the fact that he was disabled… yes this can and does happen. He’s personable, educated and has great insight into people and problems. I’m excited about having him as an employee. His goal is to be able to do a whole glass by next Monday.
The bonus was to be the solution, but… if this doesn’t work then I’ll try another solution today. One interesting aspect of motivation… you can’t force people to do things against their will. We’ll either find something that works or… they’ll be gone!
Mary has wanted to let the two girls go for quite some time. Between Gabrielle and the two girls she has had an extremely difficult couple of months. She understands my concern for the business and supports me, but… At the same time she realizes the damage that these individuals have had on our existing employees. I thought I learned a long time ago in business… you can’t let anyone keep you hostage, but… It’s difficult and different when others are relying on you.
On Saturday we asked Juan Miguel if he thought any of the disrespect to Juan was due to Juan’s disability… He doesn’t know. None of us know. We do know that Gabrielle made the statement before leaving that “they”, disabled individuals, couldn’t produce as fast… this comment was made when I was talking about hiring more people. The interesting fact is that the maestro that we met in town, another person named Juan, sits down all day as he does his grabado work. Gabrielle made all of the machines and taught all of the people standing up. He said sitting down is not as efficient which would indicate that someone in a wheelchair, etc wouldn’t be as well.
In the last couple of weeks as Mary and I have been going through these growing pains we’ve found new resources and new hope. I’m just hoping whatever happens next; something good comes along to keep this dream going.
The problem and then the solution… one can only hope!
The two girls that know how to do the grabado the best and have been doing it for several months now continue to be a problem for Mary and their supervisor Juan (last paragraph of entry #43). They’re 16 and 18 and were heavily influenced by Gabrielle, the maestro of grabado, who just left. They’re from the campo, country-side, outside of San Miguel. They feel that anyone who is not better than them at grabado can not be their supervisor. Is this something that they actual feel or something that Gabrielle told them. This is one question. Or is it something else? It’s so difficult to know.
The easy way out might be to just fire them for insubordination. Of course then we lose what little production capacity we have until we find another maestro. One option is to outsource to Gabrielle now that he’s back in his home for a short time. Mary hates this idea because it rewards someone who didn’t fulfill there promise to us and showed us no respect.
My concern is… keeping the business going!
Today we announced that we were implementing a performance/incentive bonus. The main focus of the bonus, and the one item that could determine whether someone gets their bonus or not was respect… respecting their supervisor and respecting their fellow employees. As we told the employees about this new bonus we could see the expression on both of the girls faces. It was obvious to us that they knew why we were doing this. We were hoping this would make the difference and change the behavior, but…
At the end of the day they brought their production cards to Mary which should have gone to Juan. This gives me the impression that they didn’t “get it”! Or simply refuse!
I’ve been extremely frustrated since leaving work. I’m disappointed. As I’ve told Mary, part of the problem was our fault. We didn’t put the girls in an environment to be successful and to be taught good behaviors since this is their first job. I feel we need to do our part to rectify the situation, but at the same time it was apparent in the meeting yesterday that they know right from wrong. Ultimately they must decide what they are going to do.
I feel for Juan. After being made supervisor Gabrielle ignored him. He didn’t continue teaching him and even worse he took it out on Juan’s wife as well. He ignored her and didn’t work with her after that point.
We have a new employee who started last week named Juan Miguel… many, many people with the name Juan in Mexico. On his first day, Gabrielle said that it was as if he had been here three weeks. He has lots of potential. He came to us through a government organization that helps disabled individuals. He lost his last job because his manager didn’t like the fact that he was disabled… yes this can and does happen. He’s personable, educated and has great insight into people and problems. I’m excited about having him as an employee. His goal is to be able to do a whole glass by next Monday.
The bonus was to be the solution, but… if this doesn’t work then I’ll try another solution today. One interesting aspect of motivation… you can’t force people to do things against their will. We’ll either find something that works or… they’ll be gone!
Mary has wanted to let the two girls go for quite some time. Between Gabrielle and the two girls she has had an extremely difficult couple of months. She understands my concern for the business and supports me, but… At the same time she realizes the damage that these individuals have had on our existing employees. I thought I learned a long time ago in business… you can’t let anyone keep you hostage, but… It’s difficult and different when others are relying on you.
On Saturday we asked Juan Miguel if he thought any of the disrespect to Juan was due to Juan’s disability… He doesn’t know. None of us know. We do know that Gabrielle made the statement before leaving that “they”, disabled individuals, couldn’t produce as fast… this comment was made when I was talking about hiring more people. The interesting fact is that the maestro that we met in town, another person named Juan, sits down all day as he does his grabado work. Gabrielle made all of the machines and taught all of the people standing up. He said sitting down is not as efficient which would indicate that someone in a wheelchair, etc wouldn’t be as well.
In the last couple of weeks as Mary and I have been going through these growing pains we’ve found new resources and new hope. I’m just hoping whatever happens next; something good comes along to keep this dream going.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Comment on Entry 45
It was written last night after an intense week. It states fairly honestly my feelings and concerns. I talk about wanting to do motivational speeches, etc. in my Mission Statement and have broached the subject on occasion in blog entries.
This time in my life is going to give me the opportunity to share:
What keeps me going!
What gives me hope!
What motivates me!
Side Note:
After talking with Mary and Juan this morning the maestros disrespect was not caused by the issue of disability, but by... I can talk about this at some later date. The two girls on the other hand...
Also, Mary... my office manager said that it was OK to use her name! you'll be hearing a lot more about her in the future...
This time in my life is going to give me the opportunity to share:
What keeps me going!
What gives me hope!
What motivates me!
Side Note:
After talking with Mary and Juan this morning the maestros disrespect was not caused by the issue of disability, but by... I can talk about this at some later date. The two girls on the other hand...
Also, Mary... my office manager said that it was OK to use her name! you'll be hearing a lot more about her in the future...
(46th Entry) The end to a tough week!
It’s difficult trying to run a business in Mexico when you don’t speak the language, but it was difficult working in Corporate America as well. Anytime you have to deal with other people it’s difficult especially when the communication isn’t based on honesty and trust. Who’s really honest and open and truthful at work? Most of us want to keep our job or keep our employees so we don’t say what’s really on our minds. God forbid we’re honest… there’s a lawsuit waiting to happen. Law suits are less prevalent in Mexico except for employees who leave or are fired. Laws in Mexico heavily favor the laborer.
The maestro is leaving tonight. I have mixed emotions. I’m fearful about the business and surviving in what’s already a precarious economic environment. I’m wondering if my two best people at producing grabado (carving on glass) will come to work tomorrow. They were very attached to the maestro. They’re young girls ages… 16 and 18. He encouraged, played along with their bad, immature behavior. Yet without the two of them it’ll be difficult to produce tomorrow. On the other hand… they have no respect for me, my office manager, and their supervisor.
Business is difficult for most of us! I’m not talking about sales and profits. I’m talking about really doing right by your employees. It’s a balancing act of wanting to survive, do well and do the right thing. It’s a constant lesson of learning from your mistakes and your successes, but most of all learning to read between the lines. I said in a previously entry, “I might be a little cynical and a bit jaded, but I expect that Corporate America utilizes only a fraction of their employee’s abilities, energy and assets.”
Reading between the lines… I have two disabled individuals working for us in our new factory. Have I done “right” by them? Have I done the right thing for myself or for my office manager? I want to have a company and I want to be able to pay my employees, but have I sacrificed my integrity or degraded my employees in pursuit of a dream. Or does the end justify the means as Nietzsche put it?
Business is difficult for most of us… If you have a conscious! If you care about people! If you care about yourself!
Read entry 43… The maestro said he was leaving because we put an employee in as a supervisor and he didn’t like being watched. As Juan, our grabado supervisor, got out of the car tonight I don’t think he even said goodbye to Gabrielle, the maestro. Gabrielle has shown him no respect. Question: Is it because Juan was the newest of the people learning grabado and Gabrielle felt that someone who didn’t know this process inside out couldn’t be a supervisor? We explained to him the difference between a teacher, a maestro and a supervisor, but that didn’t seem to sink in or convince him. Or was the lack of respect due to the fact that Juan is disabled?
The nature of discrimination is one of covertness (Wow! This might actually be a real word!) Covertness… Is it real? Isn’t that the question that we’re so often asked in these cases? How do you know? Invalidos!
This afternoon I went out with my office manager right before closing and in front of all of the employees thanked Gabrielle for all that he had done for us. As I was speaking one of these young girls evidently was laughing. I didn’t realize it at the time, but asked Mary, my office manager, what she said to this girl before translating. Mary just asked her why she was laughing. My comment to Mary was, “They always laugh when I talk.” Mary responded, “I hate it!”
What does this say about me? What does it say about how I feel about the two other disabled individuals? What does it say to the non-disabled individuals about how I feel about myself and others who are disabled? On the other hand… Is it real? Maybe we can’t quantify attitudes about disabilities, but general disrespect shouldn’t be a problem.
Now the maestro is gone and the girls might show up for work tomorrow. We’ve found another person who has been doing grabado for 20 something years and might have an interest in helping us out. My dream was to have 20 individuals doing this by the end of the year with 14 to 16 disabled. Now? I’m just hoping to survive…
More, much more to come!
The maestro is leaving tonight. I have mixed emotions. I’m fearful about the business and surviving in what’s already a precarious economic environment. I’m wondering if my two best people at producing grabado (carving on glass) will come to work tomorrow. They were very attached to the maestro. They’re young girls ages… 16 and 18. He encouraged, played along with their bad, immature behavior. Yet without the two of them it’ll be difficult to produce tomorrow. On the other hand… they have no respect for me, my office manager, and their supervisor.
Business is difficult for most of us! I’m not talking about sales and profits. I’m talking about really doing right by your employees. It’s a balancing act of wanting to survive, do well and do the right thing. It’s a constant lesson of learning from your mistakes and your successes, but most of all learning to read between the lines. I said in a previously entry, “I might be a little cynical and a bit jaded, but I expect that Corporate America utilizes only a fraction of their employee’s abilities, energy and assets.”
Reading between the lines… I have two disabled individuals working for us in our new factory. Have I done “right” by them? Have I done the right thing for myself or for my office manager? I want to have a company and I want to be able to pay my employees, but have I sacrificed my integrity or degraded my employees in pursuit of a dream. Or does the end justify the means as Nietzsche put it?
Business is difficult for most of us… If you have a conscious! If you care about people! If you care about yourself!
Read entry 43… The maestro said he was leaving because we put an employee in as a supervisor and he didn’t like being watched. As Juan, our grabado supervisor, got out of the car tonight I don’t think he even said goodbye to Gabrielle, the maestro. Gabrielle has shown him no respect. Question: Is it because Juan was the newest of the people learning grabado and Gabrielle felt that someone who didn’t know this process inside out couldn’t be a supervisor? We explained to him the difference between a teacher, a maestro and a supervisor, but that didn’t seem to sink in or convince him. Or was the lack of respect due to the fact that Juan is disabled?
The nature of discrimination is one of covertness (Wow! This might actually be a real word!) Covertness… Is it real? Isn’t that the question that we’re so often asked in these cases? How do you know? Invalidos!
This afternoon I went out with my office manager right before closing and in front of all of the employees thanked Gabrielle for all that he had done for us. As I was speaking one of these young girls evidently was laughing. I didn’t realize it at the time, but asked Mary, my office manager, what she said to this girl before translating. Mary just asked her why she was laughing. My comment to Mary was, “They always laugh when I talk.” Mary responded, “I hate it!”
What does this say about me? What does it say about how I feel about the two other disabled individuals? What does it say to the non-disabled individuals about how I feel about myself and others who are disabled? On the other hand… Is it real? Maybe we can’t quantify attitudes about disabilities, but general disrespect shouldn’t be a problem.
Now the maestro is gone and the girls might show up for work tomorrow. We’ve found another person who has been doing grabado for 20 something years and might have an interest in helping us out. My dream was to have 20 individuals doing this by the end of the year with 14 to 16 disabled. Now? I’m just hoping to survive…
More, much more to come!
Friday, March 14, 2008
(45th Entry) What to call this one?
It might be better not to write a blog entry when you’re somewhat emotional… But what the Hell! The last couple of days have been quite traumatic for me… actually this whole week. It started Monday morning after what I now realize was a stressful weekend. I often tend to be intuitive and tend to sense things before they become apparent or they’re revealed.
Monday morning I came to the office agitated. We’re beginning to build a factory to make candles and on the previous Friday I had met with the contractor so that I could have a quote by Monday morning. The candle maestro arrived. It quickly became apparent that what we thought was needed in terms of a building was in reality quit different.
Luckily the contractor was able to meet us. We all sat down together and were very specific about what was needed. Our office is out in the country where it can be windy and dusty so that the building needs to be insulated to some degree from the dust and dirt. One of the reasons I was so agitated was that I had planned to be back in town by 9:00a.m. to meet someone… obviously this wasn’t going to happen.
My office manager asked me what was wrong today. I don’t think she had seen me this way in quite some time. In the beginning working with her in Mexico this was quite common. I’m glad we all had this opportunity to meet however, and that we were able to straighten out any misunderstandings before we began construction. Of course that conversation doubled the cost of construction… that was also a little stressful.
Switching from candles to glass carving… We’re opening two different factories in less than six months.
The Maestro: (previous blog) Well… he is around 60 years old. He is a maestro of grabado… carving on glass done with grinding stones. He’s been here for approximately five months, lived in my apartment and has had his wife to visit. She returned last Friday night because he hasn’t feeling well. He’s from another city in Mexico which means he commutes home every other weekend. I’ve given him everything that he has asked for which ironically he confirmed yesterday. I never tried to negotiate with him, but was grateful that we had found what we thought was an honorable man who had an interest in what we were trying to accomplish.
From the time his wife arrived last Friday evening, I had this feeling that things weren’t going well. They both acted differently than they had before when she was in town. Wednesday morning I woke up and wrote an email canceling my trip this weekend which was planned. I really wanted to go, be with friends, see great folk art, etc. Maybe next year? I had this feeling that I needed to stay. As I said earlier… sometimes I have these intuitive interventions and this one was strong enough to make me listen.
We’ve been having problems with the maestro for some time. As the office manager and company accountant puts it… “He’s difficult!” They also say that the more I give him the more he wants and expects. He’s a contract worker, but thought he ought to get paid for holidays and days taken for doctor’s appointments. He remembers if I don’t do the things he wants, but quickly forgets when he leaves early and promises to work on Saturday’s to make up hours.
Yesterday when he was asked if he was working this Saturday, he tells the office manager that he’s leaving on Friday and will not be returning. Somehow I had felt all of this without really knowing what or why or how come. My home is my sanctuary and when it’s tainted my life becomes less peaceful. I now understand why I felt agitated on Monday morning.
I didn’t even get to my title… so more to come.
P.S. These two factories are mentioned in my Mission Statement (right hand column), they’re part of my “dream” plus I have employees that count on my family. This was a big blow… but life and business goes on! How to persevere is the question!
Monday morning I came to the office agitated. We’re beginning to build a factory to make candles and on the previous Friday I had met with the contractor so that I could have a quote by Monday morning. The candle maestro arrived. It quickly became apparent that what we thought was needed in terms of a building was in reality quit different.
Luckily the contractor was able to meet us. We all sat down together and were very specific about what was needed. Our office is out in the country where it can be windy and dusty so that the building needs to be insulated to some degree from the dust and dirt. One of the reasons I was so agitated was that I had planned to be back in town by 9:00a.m. to meet someone… obviously this wasn’t going to happen.
My office manager asked me what was wrong today. I don’t think she had seen me this way in quite some time. In the beginning working with her in Mexico this was quite common. I’m glad we all had this opportunity to meet however, and that we were able to straighten out any misunderstandings before we began construction. Of course that conversation doubled the cost of construction… that was also a little stressful.
Switching from candles to glass carving… We’re opening two different factories in less than six months.
The Maestro: (previous blog) Well… he is around 60 years old. He is a maestro of grabado… carving on glass done with grinding stones. He’s been here for approximately five months, lived in my apartment and has had his wife to visit. She returned last Friday night because he hasn’t feeling well. He’s from another city in Mexico which means he commutes home every other weekend. I’ve given him everything that he has asked for which ironically he confirmed yesterday. I never tried to negotiate with him, but was grateful that we had found what we thought was an honorable man who had an interest in what we were trying to accomplish.
From the time his wife arrived last Friday evening, I had this feeling that things weren’t going well. They both acted differently than they had before when she was in town. Wednesday morning I woke up and wrote an email canceling my trip this weekend which was planned. I really wanted to go, be with friends, see great folk art, etc. Maybe next year? I had this feeling that I needed to stay. As I said earlier… sometimes I have these intuitive interventions and this one was strong enough to make me listen.
We’ve been having problems with the maestro for some time. As the office manager and company accountant puts it… “He’s difficult!” They also say that the more I give him the more he wants and expects. He’s a contract worker, but thought he ought to get paid for holidays and days taken for doctor’s appointments. He remembers if I don’t do the things he wants, but quickly forgets when he leaves early and promises to work on Saturday’s to make up hours.
Yesterday when he was asked if he was working this Saturday, he tells the office manager that he’s leaving on Friday and will not be returning. Somehow I had felt all of this without really knowing what or why or how come. My home is my sanctuary and when it’s tainted my life becomes less peaceful. I now understand why I felt agitated on Monday morning.
I didn’t even get to my title… so more to come.
P.S. These two factories are mentioned in my Mission Statement (right hand column), they’re part of my “dream” plus I have employees that count on my family. This was a big blow… but life and business goes on! How to persevere is the question!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
(44th Entry) The workplace…
Workplaces are different than everyday life regardless of what country you’re in. Working in Mexico is definitely different than working in the U. S. My family was very lucky when moving their business to Mexico. The original employees hired have done a tremendous job. Although they were mostly young, they were very mature and had a great work ethic. As we’ve begun to open our factories and hire additional employees we’ve experienced many new challenges.
Production/factory work is different than anything that we’ve done before. The company had always wholesaled products made in Mexico and distributed them to retailers throughout the U. S. The basic function of our original employees in the warehouse was to do quality control and pack orders. There’s considerable flexibility in this work. All of the employees know their jobs, have the ability to organize their work and take breaks as they need them.
Factory production is different. It has to be much more organized, discipline and monitored. In addition, there’s a very long learning curve to doing the grabado so that there’s not an immediate economic benefit to the company. We hired a maestro from another city to teach. He’s an older man who we thought was very excited about teaching younger people the craft and also our desire to hire disabled individuals. More about this later...
Currently we have five individuals learning to do grabado, carving on glass. We’ve lost three employees along the way. Two employees left due to either running away with their boyfriend or getting married. The third employee that left was the second disabled individual hired. He basically left due to sexually harassing one of the young women. He resigned on his own when confronted.
For two years the company had been operating with young people working side by side and we had never experienced any problems of this nature… but… this is life and reality in today’s world… or just something that we recognize today and take seriously.
Previous to this we had talked to the maestro about letting us know if the employees were working hard or if there were any problems. Unfortunately he didn’t let us know about this situation. My regret is that we didn’t know about this earlier and might have been able to prevent this outcome. In order to not have this happen again and have a more organized production environment, we decided to have a supervisor in this area.
Three and a half months ago we hired our first disabled individual. Juan is a great individual with great presence. He’s in his late 30’s, married and has four kids. Juan was born with his disability and is basically paralyzed from the waste down. He stands less than 5’ tall and uses what I call polio crutches to get around. We decided to promote him to supervisor.
More to come…
Production/factory work is different than anything that we’ve done before. The company had always wholesaled products made in Mexico and distributed them to retailers throughout the U. S. The basic function of our original employees in the warehouse was to do quality control and pack orders. There’s considerable flexibility in this work. All of the employees know their jobs, have the ability to organize their work and take breaks as they need them.
Factory production is different. It has to be much more organized, discipline and monitored. In addition, there’s a very long learning curve to doing the grabado so that there’s not an immediate economic benefit to the company. We hired a maestro from another city to teach. He’s an older man who we thought was very excited about teaching younger people the craft and also our desire to hire disabled individuals. More about this later...
Currently we have five individuals learning to do grabado, carving on glass. We’ve lost three employees along the way. Two employees left due to either running away with their boyfriend or getting married. The third employee that left was the second disabled individual hired. He basically left due to sexually harassing one of the young women. He resigned on his own when confronted.
For two years the company had been operating with young people working side by side and we had never experienced any problems of this nature… but… this is life and reality in today’s world… or just something that we recognize today and take seriously.
Previous to this we had talked to the maestro about letting us know if the employees were working hard or if there were any problems. Unfortunately he didn’t let us know about this situation. My regret is that we didn’t know about this earlier and might have been able to prevent this outcome. In order to not have this happen again and have a more organized production environment, we decided to have a supervisor in this area.
Three and a half months ago we hired our first disabled individual. Juan is a great individual with great presence. He’s in his late 30’s, married and has four kids. Juan was born with his disability and is basically paralyzed from the waste down. He stands less than 5’ tall and uses what I call polio crutches to get around. We decided to promote him to supervisor.
More to come…
Monday, March 10, 2008
(43rd Entry) Invalidos
Invalidos… Invalid… A old word used often in Mexico to describe a person with a disability. Another word that is being used more often today instead is incapacitades… or incapacities. A word that is probably more politically correct. In the U.S. during my lifetime the word for disabled has changed quit a few times… crippled, handicapped, disabled, and then… all of the “challenges”… physically challenged, mentally challenged, technically challenged… OK… I have to have a little fun with this.
A label is a label is a label… Right! We change words to make people feel better about them selves and maybe along with the change in words comes a little change in attitude… if we’re lucky! BUT… a description, a label, a differentiation still denotes a difference.
Mexico is a wonderful, caring, compassionate country in many ways. My memories of coming to Mexico when I was young still resonate within. For me Mexico was a place I could come as a little kid in the mid to late 60’s and not feel as “different”. In Mexico it seemed that I could just be and not be reminded that I was different. I don’t think I consciously understood this at the time… I was only 6 to 12 years old.
On those visits I don’t remember being stared at or comments being made continually or being the object of attention in a negative way. I always loved the feeling that I had when I visited Mexico. The people always treated me well. It’s the same feelings that I have about New York. Others might not see it or feel it, but I do… and that’s really all that matters. As far as Mexico goes, I think the rest of my family would concur that there was something special… after all the whole family lives in Mexico today.
During the 60’s the U.S. was much different than today. As I’ve said on several different occasions the hospital that I went to for physical therapy didn’t even have outpatient care in those days and you didn’t see people with disabilities out in public.
Some times I write things in my blog that I don’t necessarily know if they’re true or not, but I always say that it’s a memory or a feeling that I have or remember. Here’s another one… My memory… My Dad and I are in a hardware store when a lady walks up to my Dad and says, “You and your wife must have been horrible people for God to have punished you with a child like that.” This memory would be from the mid to late 60’s.
Mexico was different. There was compassion, a spirit that the people had. Mexico was a very poor country is those days. Maybe because of the poverty people were used to seeing all types of people with all types of conditions. Mexico has changed over the years. We truly live in a global world… via the internet, MTV, etc. But that basic spirit that I felt when I was young still exists to a large degree to this day.
But the workplace might be different… to be continued!
A label is a label is a label… Right! We change words to make people feel better about them selves and maybe along with the change in words comes a little change in attitude… if we’re lucky! BUT… a description, a label, a differentiation still denotes a difference.
Mexico is a wonderful, caring, compassionate country in many ways. My memories of coming to Mexico when I was young still resonate within. For me Mexico was a place I could come as a little kid in the mid to late 60’s and not feel as “different”. In Mexico it seemed that I could just be and not be reminded that I was different. I don’t think I consciously understood this at the time… I was only 6 to 12 years old.
On those visits I don’t remember being stared at or comments being made continually or being the object of attention in a negative way. I always loved the feeling that I had when I visited Mexico. The people always treated me well. It’s the same feelings that I have about New York. Others might not see it or feel it, but I do… and that’s really all that matters. As far as Mexico goes, I think the rest of my family would concur that there was something special… after all the whole family lives in Mexico today.
During the 60’s the U.S. was much different than today. As I’ve said on several different occasions the hospital that I went to for physical therapy didn’t even have outpatient care in those days and you didn’t see people with disabilities out in public.
Some times I write things in my blog that I don’t necessarily know if they’re true or not, but I always say that it’s a memory or a feeling that I have or remember. Here’s another one… My memory… My Dad and I are in a hardware store when a lady walks up to my Dad and says, “You and your wife must have been horrible people for God to have punished you with a child like that.” This memory would be from the mid to late 60’s.
Mexico was different. There was compassion, a spirit that the people had. Mexico was a very poor country is those days. Maybe because of the poverty people were used to seeing all types of people with all types of conditions. Mexico has changed over the years. We truly live in a global world… via the internet, MTV, etc. But that basic spirit that I felt when I was young still exists to a large degree to this day.
But the workplace might be different… to be continued!
Sunday, March 9, 2008
(42nd Entry) On a different note…
I’m going to continue on with my quest to talk about what gives me meaning… I want to talk about what got me to where I am today, but also talk about what’s current in my life.
I’ve mentioned before that I’m helping my parent’s business out in Mexico. Back in October we opened a factory that does grabado. Grabado is carving on glass which can be done in different patterns. In Mexico City it’s known as Pepita, an art form influenced by the French. As of Monday I will have five employees and the maestro, the teacher. Two of the five employees are disabled. (I talk about my goals in the Mission Statement.)
We’re limited at the current time on the types of disabilities that we can hire due to transportation issues. There is no transportation in the town of San Miguel de Allende for individuals in wheel chairs. Plus, our office/factory is located 10 miles out in the country which makes it an even greater issue.
We have six stations at the current time for production. I hope to add to this shortly. The new machines will be made so that they can be used for individuals in wheel chairs or for those that stand. My goal is to have 20 individuals by the end of the year producing and at least 14 disabled individuals.
This sounds wonderful… Unfortunately, I thought it would be much easier than the reality is turning out to be. Things often turn out more complicated than I think. I think because it’s my dream and something that might be able to help others that it will be easy. It should be easy!
Where to go from here…
Last summer one of our business partners casually said… “We’re having production problems and you (me) have this desire to do something with the issue of disability, so let’s just open our own factory and hire disabled individuals.” Sounds great! Doesn’t it? It sounded good to me.
We found a maestro. We told him about our goals and he sounded very interested and we felt that he bought into the idea of hiring disabled individuals. In October we opened the doors and began producing. The first thing that became apparent is that the learning curve for employees was going to be much greater than we were led to believe. OK… I adjusted to this and realized that the investment would be greater than I expected. This was not insurmountable, so we continued.
More to follow:
I’ve mentioned before that I’m helping my parent’s business out in Mexico. Back in October we opened a factory that does grabado. Grabado is carving on glass which can be done in different patterns. In Mexico City it’s known as Pepita, an art form influenced by the French. As of Monday I will have five employees and the maestro, the teacher. Two of the five employees are disabled. (I talk about my goals in the Mission Statement.)
We’re limited at the current time on the types of disabilities that we can hire due to transportation issues. There is no transportation in the town of San Miguel de Allende for individuals in wheel chairs. Plus, our office/factory is located 10 miles out in the country which makes it an even greater issue.
We have six stations at the current time for production. I hope to add to this shortly. The new machines will be made so that they can be used for individuals in wheel chairs or for those that stand. My goal is to have 20 individuals by the end of the year producing and at least 14 disabled individuals.
This sounds wonderful… Unfortunately, I thought it would be much easier than the reality is turning out to be. Things often turn out more complicated than I think. I think because it’s my dream and something that might be able to help others that it will be easy. It should be easy!
Where to go from here…
Last summer one of our business partners casually said… “We’re having production problems and you (me) have this desire to do something with the issue of disability, so let’s just open our own factory and hire disabled individuals.” Sounds great! Doesn’t it? It sounded good to me.
We found a maestro. We told him about our goals and he sounded very interested and we felt that he bought into the idea of hiring disabled individuals. In October we opened the doors and began producing. The first thing that became apparent is that the learning curve for employees was going to be much greater than we were led to believe. OK… I adjusted to this and realized that the investment would be greater than I expected. This was not insurmountable, so we continued.
More to follow:
To long since..
It's been over a week since my last entry. It seems much longer. As usual things in my life change rapidly and therefore so does my direction in writing.
Be Patient... Please! There's just so much to express!
Be Patient... Please! There's just so much to express!
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Please accept...
my apology... My parent's are in town. I've been busy with them and am a little behind on entries. I will post again on Saturday, March 8th.
And then... I should be back to a normal schedule.
And then... I should be back to a normal schedule.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
(41st Entry) On death and dying…
The first two projects during my sophomore year of high school were “On Death and Dying” (Fall 1976) and “Parenting the Disabled” (Spring 1977)
In the Fall of 1976, I met a Chaplain from one of the Dallas hospitals. I was involved with the Episcopal Church Youth Group. He had spoken to us at one of our Sunday night meetings. As it turns out, he was one of the two Chaplains that introduced Elizabeth Kubler-Ross to her first terminally ill patients. He was mentioned in her book… ON DEATH AND DYING. When I was asked to come up with my first topic for a project that year this is the topic that came to me.
Since I had been introduced to the Kubler-Ross books and had extended beyond her work I had some background already. I called the Chaplain, reminded him who I was and one Saturday he came to my house for a three hour interview. I was fascinated with the subject and his experience, but having the opportunity to talk to him uninterrupted for several hours was incredible.
It’s funny, but I remember many of the details from that day even though it took place over 30 years ago. I was extremely fortunate to have had this opportunity.
Kubler-Ross is renowned for her pioneering work with terminally ill individuals. Most noticeably her Five Stages of Grief.
1. Denial
2. Anger
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance
As I said in the last blog entry, the four projects that I did during my sophomore and junior years in High School were an uncanny attempt to resolve many of the issues that I was attempting to work through in my personal life and that were expressed in ONCE THERE WAS A PEROSN (previous blog).
As I am sitting here writing a couple of things occur to me. It was also this same time period when I wrote the answer to… Question: “If you were to die today what would you want your epitaph to read”… Answer “I do what I can and that which I can not do; I do anyway!” (Also mentioned in Entry 9) Plus it was the beginning of this school year that I received my driver’s license (Entry 26).
The reason why writing, contemplating, investigating, etc. is so important is that it gives us insights into our selves that we might never otherwise perceive. There’s so much within all of us. We all experience so much and we’re constantly bombarded with stimuli from all directions that it’s virtually impossible for any of us to fully realize all that is taking place within ourselves and our lives.
My famous epitaph (OK… famous to me!) is nothing more than a declaration of denial.
To be continued….
In the Fall of 1976, I met a Chaplain from one of the Dallas hospitals. I was involved with the Episcopal Church Youth Group. He had spoken to us at one of our Sunday night meetings. As it turns out, he was one of the two Chaplains that introduced Elizabeth Kubler-Ross to her first terminally ill patients. He was mentioned in her book… ON DEATH AND DYING. When I was asked to come up with my first topic for a project that year this is the topic that came to me.
Since I had been introduced to the Kubler-Ross books and had extended beyond her work I had some background already. I called the Chaplain, reminded him who I was and one Saturday he came to my house for a three hour interview. I was fascinated with the subject and his experience, but having the opportunity to talk to him uninterrupted for several hours was incredible.
It’s funny, but I remember many of the details from that day even though it took place over 30 years ago. I was extremely fortunate to have had this opportunity.
Kubler-Ross is renowned for her pioneering work with terminally ill individuals. Most noticeably her Five Stages of Grief.
1. Denial
2. Anger
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance
As I said in the last blog entry, the four projects that I did during my sophomore and junior years in High School were an uncanny attempt to resolve many of the issues that I was attempting to work through in my personal life and that were expressed in ONCE THERE WAS A PEROSN (previous blog).
As I am sitting here writing a couple of things occur to me. It was also this same time period when I wrote the answer to… Question: “If you were to die today what would you want your epitaph to read”… Answer “I do what I can and that which I can not do; I do anyway!” (Also mentioned in Entry 9) Plus it was the beginning of this school year that I received my driver’s license (Entry 26).
The reason why writing, contemplating, investigating, etc. is so important is that it gives us insights into our selves that we might never otherwise perceive. There’s so much within all of us. We all experience so much and we’re constantly bombarded with stimuli from all directions that it’s virtually impossible for any of us to fully realize all that is taking place within ourselves and our lives.
My famous epitaph (OK… famous to me!) is nothing more than a declaration of denial.
To be continued….
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