The internet definitely has a lot of material on this topic. Here's an excerpt from a blog by Mike Russell titled 10 Signs of a Dysfunctional Workplace:

1. Nothing can get done without the boss's approval.
2. To get things done, you have to hide them from the boss.
3. Who is the boss?
4. Meetings and protocols.
5. Overuse of technology.
6. Lack of Trust and Authenticity.
7. Favoritism.
8. What matters is not what gets done.
9. The Blame Game.
10. Training and is viewed as a cost or expense rather than an investment.

Looking over the above ten items gives me shivers. Glad I'm not on that team!

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I was talking to a friend of mine the other day about my current job and I remarked about how well my current team works together. We all respect each other, respect each others opinions, offer to help each other when asked and pull our own weight. Unfortunately, not all teams work that way. Some teams are seemingly born bad and produce poor results day-in, day out. What characterizes these teams? I found an article by Sandra Phillips, titled Top Seven Signs You Have a Dysfunctional Team…And What to Do About It that does an excellent job summarizing what I've experienced in the past. For quick reference, here are the seven warning signs:

1. Team members are disengaged and show only minimal effort.
2. Team members have difficulty moving into new roles as part of a team.
3. Team projects have uninspired results.
4. Arguments, tension and resentment develop among team members.
5. Team members need to be more responsive to customers.
6. Team leaders and members have trouble identifying and managing the team's needs.
7. You, the leader, are at a loss for what to do.

If the team you're currently on exhibits any of the above symptoms, look for the nearest Exit sign! ; + )

I am definitely glad that my current team works in the exact opposite manner. It definitely makes work more enjoyable and more productive.

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Michigan, the state I live in, has been perplexed as to what services it should tax in order to make up for a budget deficit. Many people complained when the governor and the legislature initially proposed to tax services like haircuts, movie tickets and sporting events at the current 6% sales tax rate. During the last couple of days, lawmakers mentioned how they really didn't want to tax services used regularly by the poor and middle class. I agree with this reasoning as there is no real good way to cut your own hair, and taking in a movie or seeing a Tigers game are one of the few ways us citizens can escape the cloud of doom hanging over our state. So, what services did lawmakers decide to tax? Here's a list of services that may be included in the sales tax from the Detroit News. When I first read this list, I was surprised to see "Phrenology Services". The only other time I heard phrenology mentioned was in Walt Whitman's prelude to the Leaves of Grass. In case you didn't know, phrenology is the reading of head bumps. Now, how many phrenologists can there be in the State of Michigan? One?

Anyway, further chuckles can be had over the idea of taxing balloon-o-grams, astrology services, fortune telling, psychic services, palm reading and numerology. Even escort services are being taxed. Is nothing sacred????

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From the unknown comic...


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From the unknown comic...


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From the unknown comic...


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Michigan is definitely in a depression. Most people here don't like to call it that, but that is what we are in. Not only are we losing good, high-skilled people who leave Michigan for jobs out-of-state, but the people that remain here are not interested in pursuing opportunities when they become available. Consider the following:

About a month ago, I was asked if I knew of any senior Domino Administrators who would be interested in a job working for a major company in the Metro Detroit area. The job was a direct hire position, not an indefinite contract or contract-to-hire position. I didn't know of anyone off-hand, so I contacted several people I knew who were already employed as senior Domino Administrators. One person I contacted was on the verge of moving out-of-state for a full-time position. The other people I contacted weren't really interested in changing jobs at this time.

A good friend of mine has been looking for a senior Notes/Domino developer for some time. He's posted the job several times, but from what he's told me, none of the top-notch Notes developers I know of ever apply. Since his options have been limited, he's been forced to hire from the few people that did apply. These people had less than stellar work histories and references. When these people ultimately didn't work out, I wasn't surprised. Still, I don't know what else my friend could have done. He had more work than he could handle and needed to keep his customers happy.

Another company I know was looking for a project manager for the Notes development team. The main requirements for this job were Notes development experience and PMI certification. When the job was posted publicly, there were no applicants. I think that the PMI certification was the primary reason behind the lack of applicants. But I find it difficult to believe that there aren't any PMI certified project managers in Michigan that have some Notes development exposure.

So why aren't the Notes/Domino professionals in Michigan pursuing other job opportunities when they become available? I think that Michigan's bleak economic forecast scares many people into not leaving their current position for something new. If you leave a position you've been at for several years for a new job, and the new job doesn't work out, where do you go from there? There aren't a lot of jobs for senior Notes/Domino professionals available in Michigan right now. If you make a mistake, you could be out of work for a long time.

Another reason I have for why Notes/Domino professionals here aren't moving around is because the pay for many positions pay so little. Several larger companies in the area have driven the rate for Notes/Domino professionals so low that it really doesn't pay to switch jobs even if the new job appeals to you.

Taking all of the above into account, I really shouldn't be surprised that I can't think of an available Notes/Domino person when I hear about an opportunity. I'm sure I don't know every Notes developer and administrator in Michigan, but I do know most of them through my role as president of the Detroit Notes Professionals. Are there really no senior-level Domino administrators or developers actively looking for a position in Michigan?

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A "legacy system" is an application that has been in existence long enough to have had several different owners. The current owner wasn't around when the application was developed, and received minimal or no training when they inherited it. Documentation on how the application works is either minimal or nonexistent. As a result, the current owner reports normal system behavior as bugs.

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From the unknown comic...

Please pass the pictures on.  Sometimes in our everyday lives we tend to forget what's going on elsewhere in the world and that the brave men and women of the service are just like you and I. They have family and friends back home who love them very much and are praying for their safe return.