A great weekend, but a delay
My weekend went well, and Manuel and I did the work we needed to as well as got some quality time in.
Driving him around from place to place, had a nice Mongolian BBQ dinner, and three days and two nights to catch up on things professionally and private.
I got a sabbatical from the computer, which is refreshing since I begin to cough static and it will probably keep me from going blind for a while longer by staying away from the screen. That does mean though that I spend about the next three days having to catch up with all my reading, writing, and emptying of my in-box. (I am about ready to have to get In-Box II, if I don't keep rolling.)
Sunday came before I knew it and Manuel and Peter (Peter is the other main manager) sat down for the audit. They took it well, I think I feel worse about it than they do.
Years ago when I first started out with various small projects I worked with Manuel's brother Jose. Jose and I were the main auditor and decision guys for the projects. We had each other because one of us always had to be a pessimist as a rule. If I really wanted to do something, it was Jose's job to tear it down and find problems before it happened. When Jose proposed it, it was my duty to do the same for him. It keeps idealism from blindsiding or planning.
Jose can't audit Manuels project because I pulled him from it because as a brother it would be stressful and disharmonious for their close knit family. I am family by adoption, but I am the (admittedly) colder of the two of us when it comes to Manuel. I promised Jose that I would look out for his brother with the brutality that I would do for an outsider.
I can't stress enough that this is the part of my work that I hate. Especially when someone I care about a lot asks for me to do this.
It is my job to find flaws in the business plan before they spend too much money on it. I have to ask harsh questions, I have to point out any potential danger or trouble in the long run, I have to take their exciting new plan and treat it as strictly business. By the end of the night, Manuel and Peter decided they wanted to go through with it with my directions, but I could see that they now realized how risky it was for the first time. I felt like I took an axe to the dream they had, and made things more frightening but real.
In other words I did my job.
I want them to succeed too, besides being my family and friends, I also get paid my shares when the business goes and turns profits. It might be a long time before I see things take off, since I delayed them a season to proceed more prudently. I want them to succeed as much as they do, if not more. Now we have to wait...sometimes the right thing is so hard to do.
I am no buddy that will tell you that the weather is great when it is going to rain, I am a friend. I value their success more than my returns.
2008 here we come, hopefully.
Driving him around from place to place, had a nice Mongolian BBQ dinner, and three days and two nights to catch up on things professionally and private.
I got a sabbatical from the computer, which is refreshing since I begin to cough static and it will probably keep me from going blind for a while longer by staying away from the screen. That does mean though that I spend about the next three days having to catch up with all my reading, writing, and emptying of my in-box. (I am about ready to have to get In-Box II, if I don't keep rolling.)
Sunday came before I knew it and Manuel and Peter (Peter is the other main manager) sat down for the audit. They took it well, I think I feel worse about it than they do.
Years ago when I first started out with various small projects I worked with Manuel's brother Jose. Jose and I were the main auditor and decision guys for the projects. We had each other because one of us always had to be a pessimist as a rule. If I really wanted to do something, it was Jose's job to tear it down and find problems before it happened. When Jose proposed it, it was my duty to do the same for him. It keeps idealism from blindsiding or planning.
Jose can't audit Manuels project because I pulled him from it because as a brother it would be stressful and disharmonious for their close knit family. I am family by adoption, but I am the (admittedly) colder of the two of us when it comes to Manuel. I promised Jose that I would look out for his brother with the brutality that I would do for an outsider.
I can't stress enough that this is the part of my work that I hate. Especially when someone I care about a lot asks for me to do this.
It is my job to find flaws in the business plan before they spend too much money on it. I have to ask harsh questions, I have to point out any potential danger or trouble in the long run, I have to take their exciting new plan and treat it as strictly business. By the end of the night, Manuel and Peter decided they wanted to go through with it with my directions, but I could see that they now realized how risky it was for the first time. I felt like I took an axe to the dream they had, and made things more frightening but real.
In other words I did my job.
I want them to succeed too, besides being my family and friends, I also get paid my shares when the business goes and turns profits. It might be a long time before I see things take off, since I delayed them a season to proceed more prudently. I want them to succeed as much as they do, if not more. Now we have to wait...sometimes the right thing is so hard to do.
I am no buddy that will tell you that the weather is great when it is going to rain, I am a friend. I value their success more than my returns.
2008 here we come, hopefully.
Labels: family, rants, work stuff
posted by Janus Torrell at 3:20 PM
3 Comments:
Good luck to Manual & Peter. I hope it works out for them.
Frodo
Janus - Sometimes people need that brutal truth. That's how you can tell someone really cares. Better coming from a friend than a stranger.
Good luck.
Peace,
- Neo
I hope it does too Frodo, Otherwise all three of us are going to be really feelin' lousy.
Neo, I always try to offer the tender loving blows of my auditing sledge hammer, but sometimes it does hurt me to have to use it. If I didn't give them the best and most honest audit I could though I wouldn't be a buddy or a friend, that would be as bad as an enemy if they failed from it.
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