TheTies… TheTies… TheTies, brings back thoughts of corporate world days. A time when your outward presentation represents you. It represented business focus and serious focus. The business attire required by MFN commanded professional attire. The Clayton campus exuded his brand and mission. I however expressed myself through my neckties. I love Jerry Garcia design neckties. I even found that I have a few early Garcia's ties with a different inner label, very basic and indistinguishable.
What to do with ties after the corporate world. Not all of them. There were particular shirt and tie combinations that felt right. My Garcia collection helped me power up my day. I was me and I was on an MFN mission. The corporate open cube I was assigned fostered amidst a cluster of cubes. Our skills paired and placed together to foster collaboration. We felt the energy and attitudes that make things happen. Do or Do Not.. there is no try. We collectively shared yoda as our coach and guiding support. We were like minded determined individuals
assembled as a team. My previous employment was as a Human Resource Systems Administrator managing about 3,000 active employee records. I started as an analyst while the corporation continued to search for a degreed candidate. Instead of twiddling my thumbs I dug into the details of the reporting created by previous staff. I analyzed the puzzling system into my evenings. I dug into SQL code to find great commented out SQL code. This was a perfect place to learn what each part of code was responsible to handle. As I figured out how the code worked in a lower test environment, I found the production code was looking for codes that did not exist. I physically engaged HR and Finance in regularly scheduled meetings to test changes to the system. I quickly learned that Finance introduced new Finance codes that were not accounted for. I studied the environment as if I was Indiana Jones in the temple ruins. The knowledge of the prior team was absent the ability to transfer knowledge. The documentation held the details to turn on the lights. The leadership had changed at the corporation. Early on I became focused in and on the process. Things constantly change. There was not a formal step by step process for me to follow. I figured it out on my own. I studied my surroundings and contributions to the process. I used my insight and knowledge to establish new finance codes into the system. This was like returning my torch into the trenches of the system to reignite the perpetual motion. It was all of the lights back on. The system was working again. This is the figure it out mind set that got me a seat on the MFN team. MFN was a visionary that could ignite the people of his employ to do great things. I was one of them. We were the team that made it happen. We successfully launched the implementation of their Identity Access Management system. I geeked out with this project. Part of what I found myself fixing as HR Administrator was SSIS packages. It is SQL code on a server that we changed to include new codes. It was like the flames lighting the tunnel reignited to light our path. Project was a great challenge until it was not. Leadership changed and a new system was selected to replace our on premise solution. Things keep changing and rearranging.
To believe or not to believe… with each leader we ask ourselves the question. About this time in life I started aligning my view of leaders with their favorite quotes that adorn their email signature. These were my indicators and tells about their character. The difference between myself and the degreed leader is.. I focused on implementing the solution… they are focused on their next leadership seat. I learned that my credentials were not enough to be the leader… but my analytical skills shined my way onto projects. I did not care for public sector politics. I learned my place in the corporate world. I ran with some intelligent leaders. They were cool and accepted me as me and Oz was happy. Until I was not. Words are only as good as the breath of the person they come from. Oz learned this the hard way… Trust can be a one way street.
Oz was on his own to prove his way yet again. It was the… At Will Feel. It is for real. I reviewed my skills and deeply studied the opportunity in front of me. I did not plan for it. I wondered as I saw IAM. I thought I AM what. It was Identity Access Management. A new industry launching into our world. My interview went great and I reinvented myself to work in the professional corporate environment. I traded in my Doc Martens for Jonson Murphy shoes. My shirts and ties were my power combos. I looked good and felt good. I was accepted for who I am and recognized for the skills I have. My new team appreciated my skills and contributions with our efforts. I was introduced to SCRUM by a leader that taught our team. He shared the basic principles. The manager was not to run our SCRUM. The SCRUM team received information from leadership. Our SCRUM team brought in the requests as stories (details of the request). The stories were just enough information to capture the need. We discussed as a team and created stories with little chunks of work that worked towards the story's overall goal. We rocked our implementation as MFN continued buying and winning business. It was a great feeling to be so appreciated. I was so captivated I forgot my internal goal. I needed to pay down my business debt for my business. With personal efforts, I’d attended a trade show and incurred quite a bill to pay down. Anywho the landscape of the corporate setting had changed. When Oz started with MFN, headcount was about 5,000 to 7,000 employees. The Identity Access Management System is now a new tool under the huge corporations belt. This was another system embraced by the degreed leaders and now people of diversity. Keeping focus we continued to incorporate acquired entities raising the headcount to 50 to 70,000 active employees in the system. The smaller corporations purchased with less than 3,000 often did not have an IAM system. We were able to work with the acquired companies' employees to incorporate their staff into our system. We worked this way as we grew as a team. I would do process discovery with new team members or previous managers. At the time I shared our process. We were a small team trusted by our leaders. We had our direction, our stories, and we were raising the SCRUM bar. I was an instigator on the team. I noticed our team reflection off the elevator door as we made our way to lunch. We were all wearing purple. Our SCRUM trainer picked up on it and noted that we had clicked as a team. I was just being smart but we all were smart in our own ways and focus. We appreciated each member of our team. It was the best SCRUM team I have been on yet. I declared in the elevator with a smile to our team reflection. Tuesday is Purple day. And it was so. TheTies… TheTies… TheTies.
I am just babbling a little today and started my day thinking…
"Don't plan 2 much,
life has its own plans for you....
Listen and seek... the path of your time.
Build it Up.. Think Tall.. Reach for dreams that help us all"
Like our President... Study those who hurt you. Make new friends... study truths Change.. Change.. Change
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