This morning, I did not have cash and you have to spend a minimum of $4 at the convenience store in the skyway to use your check card. I feel like a schmuck buying coffee with a debit card anyway, and it doesn't cost $4, so I started looking around for something else to buy. I wandered over to the magazine rack and suddenly remembered my oath. And it occurred to me I should just buy a sandwich and chips for lunch along with my coffee. Less going out later, less temptation all around. Crisis averted.
I got to my desk and my first email, the AT&T News Now, indicated that we are adopting Six Sigma company-wide and that it would be rolled out as needed throughout the year. Because Six Sigma is a process thing and process is what I do, I immediately pulled up the Borders website to find a book or two on it. I figured it wouldn't hurt to get ahead of the curve and might make me feel slightly more like I know what I'm doing. But books cost money, which dawned on me about 10 minutes later. So I began looking for certification classes online until I found out that the company actually wouldn't cover them under tuition reimbursement. Eventually, I went to the library website and pulled up a couple of books on it. Not exactly what I wanted, but they'll get the job done. Six Sigma for Dummies, anyone?
So there you go. It's not the hardship I thought it would be, it just forces me to be a bit more creative. On the flip side, however, I meant to park in the ramp I pay for every month that's hell-and-gone from my building today, I even had the time, but I clicked into auto-pilot and drove to the ramp next to work. Oh well. Have to remember tomorrow.
6 comments:
Hooray for little victories! This is totally how I have to approach trying to change habits too. It does me no good to chew myself out over buying a mocha. I just feel guilty and buy the mocha anyway. But if I think of it in terms of "Every day that I do not stop and buy a mocha is a victory, and a triumph of willpower over whim," I do much better. :-)
Ugh. We went through the Six Sigma thing a couple years back. The eyes, they roll.
Oooh, just wait until you have to sit there and stifle a guffaw the first time someone says, without a trace of irony, and with a big horking dollop of pride: "Yeah, I'm a Six Sigma blackbelt." I think I lost a chunk of esophagus that day.
So, help me out, how exactly are they intending to implement Six Sigma methodologies? What are the impacted processes?
I've got my own bit of innovative process engineering going on here at Wells Fargo. It's called, "Get in my Skinner Box, asshole!"
In response to my critics: You can't argue with results.
Yeah, I'm with Pusher on the celebrating victories rather than beating oneself up over failings. So, Yay for you!
BTW, could you get the company to buy the books... or at least the one(s) you think are worthwhile after checking them out (for free!) from the library?
No, the purstrings were cut a couple of years ago and now you need God's permission to buy anything. We actually have a Six Sigma Center of Excellence (go figure), but in light of yesterday's announcement, they aren't accepting any more free enrollments for training. So I'm guess the company won't spring for books, since we're covered.
And as for which processes and such? Don't know. Just thought it would be nice to get ahead of the game for once.
"Excellence"?! The burning....
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