To err is human

I have friends who have jobs that are real tough. Tough bosses, bitchy bosses, incompetent bosses, micro-managing bosses, demanding bosses, direction-less bosses - L.O.U.S.Y. bosses. And then there are those with unfriendly colleagues, bitchy colleagues, skivving colleagues, incompetent but paid more colleagues, incompetent but being promoted colleagues. Then there are the customers/clients....[insert adjective here] customers/clients.

There was this guy whom my co wanted off his ship after the first meeting with the guys. Too much bad reviews. Need to cure the cancer by cutting off the infected parts. Cauterisation.

But sometimes you are just such a strong believer of your own character judgment that you persistently refuse your own boss, at the expense of your own credibility. Because you know that your guy is pretty much dependent on you. So he may break civilian laws. So he may break military laws. So he may be skivving because of dubious claims that he has marital problems. But you don't give up. Partly because you don't want to. Largely because there is no one else to replace him.

So there will be shouting sessions that could have resulted in fist fights if not for the working hierarchy, there will be closed door "sorting sessions" to thrash out his misdeeds and have him explain why the hell should I be spending my weekends typing report after report just to get him off the hook.

Then you set him on the straight path. But you know that with him walking on that path alone, he is susceptible to being waylaid. So you engage the rest of the department to keep him on the straight and narrow. If the department don't believe in him, I wouldn't have been able to make him the turn-around kid. It was to everybody's credit that he is able to lead the guys today. Amazing. I realise that my single effort can only do so much (which isn't much) but when everyone else around me starts to see things my way and starts believing it as well.....the road to "salvation" accelerates.

This is the kind of thing that gives me satisfaction in my job. Not some silly knowledge management crap. Not taking about causing 1st, 2nd order of effects. Not the knowledge of a military budget that doesn't decrease even if the economy isn't do too well. Not that I am in an industry that requires the personnel to see it as a higher calling. To me, it's just a job.

It takes months upon months to get the results that I was hoping for. Even my co thinks he's doing a great job now. His worst critics are now singing his praises. He listens to me and comes to me for help whenever he feels that he is not empowered sufficiently (other departments not cooperating). The ship is leaving for the exercise like a ship that has just completed yard phase. Credit to him for leading the guys.



But it is going to end all too soon because he will ord soon. I wish him all the best.





so when people ask me what i do where i am, my answer is always about sailing in south china sea, malacca straits, calling at foreign ports, visiting the prostitutes there, using squid for unorthodox uses, patroling our waters. it's so much easier to tell people what they want to hear.