#75 - The excellence of low expectations

Monday, March 19

Today I am thankful that my team at work was hoping only that I would not be a complete loser.  So far, I'm not a complete loser, and they're happy.

I went in and did a normal work day today, made some phone calls during my lunch break to get things rolling. The kids will not be able to enroll in school here until I get a waiver from the superintendent.  And they won't be placed in classes until I can provide their report cards and state test scores.  I have an address for our temporary housing.  Our final disbursement from the retirement account is on its way.

Then I worked a bit, came home, took a nap, ate dinner and did our taxes.  Now that I'm used to it, it's really quite simple.  It was a 45-minute deal start to finish.  I was stunned to find our final tax rate was under 3%.  That is crazy.  I guess it means we were up to our eyeballs in tax-deductible debt and kids.  Here's to hoping our tax rate increases in the future.  Because that means we have more disposable income.

Then I went back into the office and had a 2 hour chat with one of my team members on night shift.  We talked about the guys on his shift, his career, and his expectations of me.  Turns out that he (and several other people I've talked to 1:1) had grave reservations about hiring someone outside for my job.  At first, they weren't sure what to make of me.

At this point, I've started to make a contribution.  It turns out I'm not a loser, and they like the idea of the boss not being a loser.  In this guy's words, "I wanted someone to come in here and bust things up.  And that's what you're doing, in a nice way."

Tonight's picture is who the team is glad I am not.  And I suppose I am, too.