Monday, January 28, 2008

Is there a honeymoon period in the workplace?


I knew the honeymoon period was over in my marriage when my DH told me to “stop whining” when I stuck out my pouty lip about something instead of him saying that I was “cute”. After the honeymoon period there is a tendency to criticize more and forgive less.

My coworkers that have been at the company for a long time (7+ years) tend to criticize the most. They see the “writing on the wall” and read the “tea leaves”. When they immediately deject an idea because of what they think they foresee, they breed negativity and give up. “We’d never get funding for that – don’t plan on it” or “They never recognize our accomplishments – we’re never gonna be rewarded.” I just want to ask them, have you ever thought about doing something different? Maybe you’re not communicating well enough to the boss – maybe there’s something you can do about it!

Am I just naïve for having optimism about making change? I think not. If there ever needed to be change it’s now when we are in a recession market and need to be more creative with how we spend our money and how we prove our value to the company.

Maybe I’m focusing on the small issues? Some issues that I care deeply about at work may be in the very back corner of the CEO’s mind, behind a door in a box. In order for them to surface I need to be able to connect them to a “big picture” objective, and I need my boss or an executive sponsor to support me and not just put my idea aside. Small issues can become big issues if they are not addressed early on.

Am I in the wrong department? It’s no secret that some departments (usually the sales force or other central business) get more attention than the departments that “keep the lights on”.  Consequently, they tend to be more influential. This group is a key supporter for making a change at work.

Is the honeymoon period over? Perhaps I was coddled as a new employee and everyone smiled and nodded when I would suggest something, and in the backroom say how “ambitious” and “good spirited" I was. Now that I’ve been here a couple years and have gone through the “test of time” they are more honest with me and we can all wallow in our trials together.

Is anyone else feeling this way at work? Please comment.

Posted by Melanie Lopez at 13:09:03 | Permanent Link | Comments (3) |

Monday, January 14, 2008

This Is Who I Am: 8 Random Facts about this Blogger


 1)      I have a twin sister. She is the same age as me (you would be surprised how many people ask that) and we are not identical. We are actually complete opposites in just about everything, but I guess that’s what makes us complement each other so well.

2)      I only dated my husband for 3 months before we got engaged. Some might think I was crazy – it sounds crazy just writing it here – but it happened so naturally. I am usually a more methodical person who plans out my life as much as I can, but this came unexpectedly!

 3)      I grew up in Wyoming. I lived in a small town in Wyoming until I was 12. Some of my favorite memories there were: building igloos in the snow, sledding off the roof, dodging a moose on my friend’s property, and going to barn dances with my “boyfriend.”

4)      I’ve been wearing business attire since high school. I joined Future Business Leaders of America in high school and was a state officer my senior year. My sisters and friends would make fun of my grown-up style, so I made up a new style called “trendy business.”

5)      I love baking cookies. I have been baking cookies since the age of 8 and prefer cookies to any other desserts. Some of my favorites are oatmeal, snickerdoodles, and chocolate chip.

6)      I have had three serious head injuries. At age 5 I fell off the bleachers at a rodeo, at age 7 I hit my head on the metal edge of the playground, and at age 18 I was the victim of a car crash. My mom says I got smarter with each one. I just think my head’s a little tender.

7)      I competed in a beauty pageant. Maybe I did get a little messed up from the head injury, because shortly afterwards I decided to try out for a “scholarship program.” I didn’t do too bad – I was a finalist in a couple local shows and got about $1800 of scholarship money.

8)      I collect ladybug stuff. I started drawing ladybugs next to my name in middle school and pretty soon I started receiving all sorts of ladybug paraphernalia. Nowadays I try to keep it subtle, but if you were to look on my desk I have little ladybugs on all my frames and desktop accessories, and at home in my kitchen. Ladybugs are known in most cultures as a symbol of luck.

This post is part of a tag from fellow bloggers Brandon A at Newly Corporate and Tiffany at Personal PR. I agree with Tiffany that blogging is about relationships and getting to know each other enhances our relationships and networks, and hopefully this gave you some insight into who I am.

I encourage anyone reading this to create their own post and leave a comment here once you’ve created one. Auf Wiedersehen!

Posted by Melanie Lopez at 12:24:28 | Permanent Link | Comments (6) |

Friday, January 04, 2008

My New Year’s resolution – don’t be so lazy!

In college I had so much going on that I didn’t have time to be lazy. Now I’m married with a corporate job and when I get home I’m tired and don’t want to do chores or cook dinner and tend to procrastinate on the things I really should be spending time on. That’s all going to change though – here are the top 5 things I’m going to do in 2008 to be more productive and less lazy:

#1 Go to the gym – This is probably on the top of most people’s lists. My goal though isn’t losing weight, it’s to tone up and be healthier so I can have the energy to do more things when I get home. Isn’t it so ironic that even when you’re “too tired” to go to the gym it usually gives you more energy than if you didn’t? My goal is to go 2-3 times per week.

#2 Cook more meals – As a young newlywed couple it’s hard for us to get motivated to cook a meal for two when we’re both tired from work and just want to relax.  Then what happens is we get take-out or order pizza, which is anything but healthy. My goal is to find a good cookbook that has easy, quick recipes and cook a homemade meal at least 3 times a week.

#3 Have more sex – I don’t think I’m alone when I say that my excuse for not having sex is usually because I need to get some sleep so I can get up in the morning (I’m not a morning person). A lame excuse I know! On a good week, we might have sex once or twice, and we don’t even have kids! Seriously though how long does it take – probably only 20 minutes max (I’m being generous)? Having good, loving sex is probably one of the best things we can do for our relationship, too. If our (his) needs aren’t met physically how can I expect our (my) needs to be met emotionally?

#4 Be on time – As I mentioned earlier, I am not a morning person and when I don’t give myself enough time in the mornings something suffers – being late to the vanpool (and making them wait), half-done hair and makeup, or no sack lunch. While I’m usually on time for meetings at work (thanks Outlook alerts) I find myself often getting to doctor’s appointments, church, and everything else last-minute too! If I could be on time at least 75% of the time I would be a happier person.

#5 Take the GMAT test – I’m a big proponent of giving myself as many options as possible. My job doesn’t require an MBA, and it’s possible that it might not make good financial sense, but I have to take the GMAT while it’s all still somewhat fresh in my head (about 2 ½ years ago). I also found out that my scores are good for up to five years if I want to wait to go to school. My decision on where and when to go will likely depend on how well I do on the test.  

If this works I think I will have quite a productive year. Wish me luck!

Posted by Melanie Lopez at 21:40:10 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |