The time is always right...

High ceilings and high hopes

I just finished reading an interesting book by Scott Belsky that helped me to re-think the ways in which I work. I definitely recommend it if you like to reflect on your own systems.

Where have all the mixed groups gone?

(Me giving Fusion the thumbs up this summer - Fusion! I still love you!)

by Jen Chau

So, I'm the creepy alum who goes back to Wellesley, skips into the beautiful student center, finds the student organizations area and leaves a note in Fusion's mailbox. Fusion was the mixed group that I helped to create waybackIdon'tminddatingmyselfi'mprettycutewhat? in 1997. Yup, a "Hi ladies! Keep on fighting the good fight! Love, Jen Chau, Class of 1999." Well, I learned that this last note (left during my 10 year reunion this past summer) was probably never even looked at - this is because Fusion is no longer. I found this out during my visit a couple of weeks ago when I was invited back for Wellesley's Multicultural Speaker Series.

The problem in perfection

by Jen Chau

Perfection was cute when we were little. Sure...it was all about being perfect when the task was laid out for us and all we had to do was it. Perfectly. I remember...

managerial marginalia - 1

by Jen Chau

If I currently worked for my 24-year old self, I would not be happy. Talk about a terrible manager. I did it all. I expected my direct reports to read my mind, I waited for problems to bubble up instead of confronting them proactively, I wanted my team members to "bother me" as little as possible so I could do my job, and I tried first and foremost to make my staff members my friends. I must have subscribed to: "it's better to be loved than feared." Ay, I made a mess. But I'm glad I did (Apologies of course, to those of you out there who I managed earlier on in my career - can we all just chalk it up to lessons learned?). Ok, I wasn't a monster - I like to paint vivid pictures because drama reads better in a blog. It wasn't all bad. I did some things right - I modeled the way, I always worked as hard or harder than I expected everyone else to work, and I celebrated my team members' accomplishments. Sure, I got some things right. But what I have learned about being the leader of a team is that people management is probably the most important thing I can do well, every day.