Time Wasted
One interesting thing about today had to do with my own millstone of a project in brokering used company equipment. I was done with that project even though there is a lot of equipment offsite marked as keepers. One such item was called upon by an used equipment vendor trying to sell the equipment for one of our external customers. My company had not intended on selling the equipment, nor did anyone realize that our customer was selling it. Some have even said that we even use this equipment (or at least that it has been relocated multiple times??).
I was a bit put off by being finally asked to show this equipment to the customer of a local representative of the company selling the equipment in auction. Someone realized that I was the last person to confirm the presence and identity of the equipment. I don't expect any sort of recognition for having to go out of my way, drop what I was working on and work on something that is not my job responsibility and had been passed through about fifty people from landing in my lap. All the same, it would be nice. I'm not even sure if I need to follow up on this thing or with whom.
On the damaging side, the boondoggle diverted me from the proposal I was revising. This is acceptable only because it was my interim boss was the one who sent me. Normally, it would have been welcome, especially on a Friday afternoon. With a new boss, an uncertain situation and renewed motivation to get things done (and hopefully impress!), I was a bit worried. I have some more work to make up this weekend so I will just add that to the stack. We will see what happens on monday.
I may have also missed giving a candidate for one of the open positions in our department a tour of the plant. Interesting enough, we share an alma mater. He graduated a year before I did and yet seems strangely familiar. Our whole group had lunch with him today which was refreshing. It reminded me how few of us there are left in the department. The familiarity with him was a good sign. I guess everyone who interviewed him liked him too. Things are looking up already.
I was a bit put off by being finally asked to show this equipment to the customer of a local representative of the company selling the equipment in auction. Someone realized that I was the last person to confirm the presence and identity of the equipment. I don't expect any sort of recognition for having to go out of my way, drop what I was working on and work on something that is not my job responsibility and had been passed through about fifty people from landing in my lap. All the same, it would be nice. I'm not even sure if I need to follow up on this thing or with whom.
On the damaging side, the boondoggle diverted me from the proposal I was revising. This is acceptable only because it was my interim boss was the one who sent me. Normally, it would have been welcome, especially on a Friday afternoon. With a new boss, an uncertain situation and renewed motivation to get things done (and hopefully impress!), I was a bit worried. I have some more work to make up this weekend so I will just add that to the stack. We will see what happens on monday.
I may have also missed giving a candidate for one of the open positions in our department a tour of the plant. Interesting enough, we share an alma mater. He graduated a year before I did and yet seems strangely familiar. Our whole group had lunch with him today which was refreshing. It reminded me how few of us there are left in the department. The familiarity with him was a good sign. I guess everyone who interviewed him liked him too. Things are looking up already.