It's a wonderful start to a three-day weekend when you come down with something viral. Thankfully my immune system is pretty damn good, one of the few things I'm proud about myself, so there's no fever or mental fog. Just a sore throat, earache, and post-nasal drip. It'll probably clear up in a day or two. But this does mean I won't be able to visit my parents like we'd been planning, since anything I catch is much worse for them. Better to just quarantine myself until it's over.
The military making its troops pay for their own uniforms is utter horseshit.
Yeah what the fuck? And then not even allowing you to buy actually good versions of things?
Boot camp is kind of weird in general. Long run you get a clothing allowance to replace uniform items or buy new ones. I think the first one kicks in about 2 years in (and then you get it each following year)? Or maybe it goes full rate in 2 years? I can't recall.
When I arrived at Army boot, I had good running shoes, because my dad had already been in for over ten years and picked them out for me.
They made me throw them away as "contraband", issued me a lien against my first Army paycheck, and made me buy shittier running shoes from the compound store.
You didn't get to put your civvies aside in a box to retrieve later? Holy shit Army is pretty fucked.
Like barring any dangerous things, everything you brought with you to boot camp got put in a box you got given back to you after you graduate.
Radiation on
PSN: jfrofl
0
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WeaverWho are you?What do you want?Registered Userregular
The military making its troops pay for their own uniforms is utter horseshit.
Yeah what the fuck? And then not even allowing you to buy actually good versions of things?
Boot camp is kind of weird in general. Long run you get a clothing allowance to replace uniform items or buy new ones. I think the first one kicks in about 2 years in (and then you get it each following year)? Or maybe it goes full rate in 2 years? I can't recall.
When I arrived at Army boot, I had good running shoes, because my dad had already been in for over ten years and picked them out for me.
They made me throw them away as "contraband", issued me a lien against my first Army paycheck, and made me buy shittier running shoes from the compound store.
You didn't get to put your civvies aside in a box to retrieve later? Holy shit Army is pretty fucked.
Like barring any dangerous things, everything you brought with you to boot camp got put in a box you got given back to you after you graduate.
I got my pants and shirt back that I was wearing, but I'd lost 35lbs and had to hold my pants up.
Has anyone tried using Cliftonstengths/Strengthsfinder? Got recommended it by some other people I work with. But is seems a lot like Meyers Briggs and other personality tests and those have come under some scrutiny lately as to their efficacy
Has anyone tried using Cliftonstengths/Strengthsfinder? Got recommended it by some other people I work with. But is seems a lot like Meyers Briggs and other personality tests and those have come under some scrutiny lately as to their efficacy
Eh, it's ok. All those tools are mostly meant to kick off team conversations to make people more empathetic and understanding of different work styles/preferences so the whole becomes more than the sum of the parts.
I haven't found any to be materially better than another.
+1
Options
JedocIn the scupperswith the staggers and jagsRegistered Userregular
Has anyone tried using Cliftonstengths/Strengthsfinder? Got recommended it by some other people I work with. But is seems a lot like Meyers Briggs and other personality tests and those have come under some scrutiny lately as to their efficacy
We did it at work recently. I found it more useful than Myers-Briggs or True Colors, which are the other personality tests I've taken. It seems geared specifically toward how you approach work, rather than trying to capture your personality in all facets of your life, which makes it read a lot less like a horoscope. It's harder to read someone else's strength that you scored low on and think "yeah, I could see that in me." If other people at work are recommending it to you, it can be a valuable shorthand for quickly communicating how various members of a team are likely to tackle the topic at hand, and who might be best suited for various tasks.
For example, one of my librarians pegged the dial on the strength of Wooing, which is basically the ability to treat casual work acquaintances like someone who saved your life in the war, deeply feel the wants and needs of others, and convince them of your point of view using charisma rather than facts. She is deeply interested in talking to anyone about anything, which is a wildly valuable skill in the library world. We are all a bunch of introverts who get along best with people who are fictional, dead, or both. Our baseline assumption is that everyone hates talking to strangers as much as we do, and so as the boss I'm likely to take a bunch of meetings I don't want to thinking that I'm sparing my colleagues the trauma. But Woo loves that shit! Once we know that, we can sic Woo on every potential community partner who darkens our doorstep, confident in the knowledge that both parties are coming out ahead.
By contrast, my top five strengths are Learner, Input, Ideation, Strategic, and Intellection, which add up to a wildly unbalanced and borderline pathological tendency for absorbing, analyzing, synthesizing, and connecting facts and data, and then brainstorming weird lateral conclusions. So everyone I work with knows they can say "Hey, fucko, we got a bunch of numbers here. Go do spreadsheets at them and come back with a story" and I'll be happy as a clam making graphs for the rest of the afternoon. Alternatively, they know to ask someone else to plan the big going away party for Sharon, because I also have the delicate social sensibilities of a clam.
I mean, it's still trying to boil down a whole entire human being into five facets, which is always going to be an extremely rough draft, and I would be appalled if I ever had a boss who judged me on my Strengthsfinder results over my actual daily actions. But if you've got the opportunity, and especially if your coworkers are already in on it, I think it's a pretty good tool for self-reflection and communication.
If you're interested in what the actual results look like, here's what the dossier looks like for the Learner strength:
SHARED THEME DESCRIPTION
People who are especially talented in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to
continuously improve. In particular, the process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them.
YOUR PERSONALIZED STRENGTHS INSIGHTS
What makes you stand out?
Driven by your talents, you are a rational thinker. That is, you exhibit good judgment and exercise
sound reasoning. These thought processes serve you well whenever you set out to acquire true
knowledge and/or gain a skill. You school yourself by reading, investigating, examining, experiencing,
or receiving instruction in a subject. By nature, you yearn to increase your knowledge by being kept in
the information loop. This explains why you gravitate to people who converse about ideas at a deeper
and more thoughtful level than most individuals are capable of doing. “Making small talk” — that is,
engaging in idle conversation — probably seems like a waste of time to you. It’s very likely that you
have little difficulty giving intense effort to projects, problems, or opportunities that capture and keep
your attention. Because of your strengths, you enjoy reflecting on what you already know and on what
you want to know. Your concentration leads you to major and minor discoveries. You need ample
quiet time to critically examine new information, theories, concepts, or philosophies. Wherever you go
and whatever you do, your mind is seldom at rest. You consider what you have observed. You pose
never-before-asked questions. Thinking deeply about things is a necessity for you. It is not a luxury. It
is not an option. Chances are good that you concentrate for extended periods of time. This is one
reason why you ultimately master skills and grasp concepts.
QUESTIONS
1. As you read your personalized strengths insights, what words, phrases, or lines stand out to you?
2. Out of all the talents in this insight, what would you like for others to see most in you?
IDEAS FOR ACTION:
Refine how you learn. For example, you might learn best by teaching; if so, seek out opportunities to
present to others. You might learn best through quiet reflection; if so, find this quiet time.
Develop ways to track the progress of your learning. If there are distinct levels or stages of learning
within a discipline or skill, take a moment to celebrate your progression from one level to the next. If
no such levels exist, create them for yourself (e.g., reading five books on the subject or making three
presentations on the subject).
Be a catalyst for change. Others might be intimidated by new rules, new skills, or new
circumstances. Your willingness to soak up this newness can calm their fears and spur them to
action. Take this responsibility seriously.
Seek roles that require some form of technical competence. You will enjoy the process of acquiring
and maintaining this expertise.
As far as possible, shift your career toward a field with constantly changing technologies or
regulations. You will be energized by the challenge of keeping up.
Because you are not threatened by unfamiliar information, you might excel in a consulting role
(either internal or external) in which you are paid to go into new situations and pick up new
competencies or languages quickly.
Research supports the link between learning and performance. When people have the opportunity to
learn and grow, they are more productive and loyal. Look for ways to measure the degree to which
you and others feel that your learning needs are being met, to create individualized learning
milestones, and to reward achievements in learning.
At work, take advantage of programs that subsidize your learning. Your organization may be willing
to pay for part or all of your instructional coursework or for certifications. Ask your manager for
information about scholarships and other educational opportunities.
Honor your desire to learn. Take advantage of adult educational opportunities in your community.
Discipline yourself to sign up for at least one new academic or adult learning course each year.
Time disappears and your attention intensifies when you are immersed in studying or learning. Allow
yourself to “follow the trail” by scheduling learning sessions during periods of time that will not be
interrupted by pressing engagements.
QUESTIONS
1. Which of these action items speak to you? Highlight the actions that you are most likely to take.
2. How will you commit to taking action? Write your own personalized action item that you will take in
the next 30 days.
Drake ChambersLay out my formal shorts.Registered Userregular
It is my theory that the nuts-and-bolts specific labels from all the different personality tests are worthless.
BUT
Making everyone think about themselves real hard for a day is helpful. Thus the exercise is worthwhile.
+11
Options
FishmanPut your goddamned hand in the goddamned Box of Pain.Registered Userregular
I did the strengths thing about 5ish years ago with the rest of my team.
Pretty much as above. It was quite useful in terms of working out how we could work together and what everyone else liked to do in their work. For instance, I liked investigating and solving problems, understanding them, but not huge about the work of fixing them once I understood. Whereas the guy I usually worked with liked fixing problems without doing the investigation, which is why he always went of half cocked implementing fixes that didn't fix issues, because he didn't understand them first, whereas I'd spend 3 days understanding a problem that once solved I it would just start investigating something else and put off the fixing until 'when I had time'. We switched our work a little so I did more investigations then hand them of to him to implement solutions and were both a happier, more productive partnership.
The military making its troops pay for their own uniforms is utter horseshit.
Because of how tall and built I am they gave me a flight jumper and called it even saying it would take some time to find me a proper fatigues.
I got to boot in a pair of shorts and shirt I got both of them back {I was given the heads up to take things that I would not care about losing} as for shoes the DI made fun of the shoes I wore because the Boot issue nor did the base have any in stock. I ruined those shoes in boot They drove me still in boot to the shoe store San Diego went halves on them {they told the clerk to get the cheapest quality ones}
I knew back then it was a pain to get shoes in my size even now it's not as hard but still annoying.
My boot check was $75 but my signing bonus was 3,500
Even worse
On Wednesday I had scheduled 16 but only 13 showed up on a double truck Friday I had scheduled 17 only 14.5 {my Manager has the idea of only working some people now 5 hour shifts 5 days a week it doesn't help because he puts new and D list people on that shift} Yesterday sucked I think and am starting to feel the other support now gets more people to help him get done and look good because my bad days are better than his good days {an actual quote from the store manager}
I was an idiot I stayed last night and did a chunk of pets 2 pallets of chemicals and a bunch in the baking isle
It doesn't help I am getting the c and d list people on the double trucks and I am being told/encouraged to write them up which I say it doesn't help the situation. I am going to fire the worst person and if some of the people I need to talk to about their lack of eutheism.
JedocIn the scupperswith the staggers and jagsRegistered Userregular
edited February 2019
Unfortunately, commuting expenses are never deductible, regardless of whether they're made in a private vehicle, public transit, or an Uber. If you take a company car from one work site to another and it strands you further from home than your usual commute, you can try to hit up your employer for mileage reimbursement based on federal rates. This is an extremely common benefit, but not required by law for private employers. Based on most of the stories you've told about your employers, I'd say it's worth a shot to ask but wouldn't hold out much hope.
Jedoc on
+1
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WeaverWho are you?What do you want?Registered Userregular
Oh nooooo, a picture of me is up on the company intranet
0
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ShadowfireVermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered Userregular
HeadCreepsNOW IS THE TIME FOR DRINKING!Registered Userregular
So I guess there was a gas leak somewhere in our store yesterday, and because of that, the fire-department took a look around our backroom and didn't like that we had pallets of freight shoved in between the steel racks, which is where we put stuff when there's nowhere left to put it because our backroom's overfilled and a fucking mess most of the time. So they hit us with a fine, and now we have less room to put shit we unload off the trucks, thus making our job much more of a pain in the ass. Also, I'm fairly certain the fine is gonna affect our employee quarterly bonus, which is most likely already nonexistent since, a few weeks ago, our refrigeration system went down in the back and on the sales floor, so all the shit we had in the refrigerators and freezers had to be thrown out.
I have a bunch of thinking intensive work I need to get done today, so I turned off podcasts/music to focus on it, and I'm realizing how little in the past several years I've spent conscious in just quiet and it's making me physically shake.
Now I'll spend an hour trying to find background music which doesn't draw my thoughts -_-
Someone mentioned this earlier in the thread but I listen to this when I study all the time:
Has anyone tried using Cliftonstengths/Strengthsfinder? Got recommended it by some other people I work with. But is seems a lot like Meyers Briggs and other personality tests and those have come under some scrutiny lately as to their efficacy
We did it at work recently. I found it more useful than Myers-Briggs or True Colors, which are the other personality tests I've taken. It seems geared specifically toward how you approach work, rather than trying to capture your personality in all facets of your life, which makes it read a lot less like a horoscope. It's harder to read someone else's strength that you scored low on and think "yeah, I could see that in me." If other people at work are recommending it to you, it can be a valuable shorthand for quickly communicating how various members of a team are likely to tackle the topic at hand, and who might be best suited for various tasks.
...
Yeah, BBY HQ used to be super all about StrengthsFinder a few years ago. Some departments really took it to heart, though the department I started with basically said “take this quiz and put your results in your email signature. The end.”
The most recent thing that has been going around here has been Enneagram; a 9-pointed Star where certain points link to others. Where Strengths Finder felt more “here’s what you are” Enneagram feels more “here’s what you actually are, and here’s what people think you are.”
But to highlight a point in Jedoc’s post: sharing with coworkers and actually thinking about how to use their strengths is a big part that can easily get skipped, to everybody’s detriment. People can tend to focus on the personality test, and not enough thought is put into the “Send the Woo to meet the new client” part.
The trick is to not really think about the questions and just answer them ASAP, this tends to make the responses much more accurate without all the second-guessing and self-editing.
We all did StrengthsFinder at work and it was interesting to see the results. The previous accountant, my assistant and I all had our top traits in common, which was gratifying.
In addition to listing ways to improve/use your own strengths to your advantage, you can also read others’ strength profiles to get suggestions for ways to work with them, which is neat.
Posts
Yeah same. They also charged me $50 for a phone card I never saw. A fucking phone card! In 2003!
Yeah what the fuck? And then not even allowing you to buy actually good versions of things?
Boot camp is kind of weird in general. Long run you get a clothing allowance to replace uniform items or buy new ones. I think the first one kicks in about 2 years in (and then you get it each following year)? Or maybe it goes full rate in 2 years? I can't recall.
You didn't get to put your civvies aside in a box to retrieve later? Holy shit Army is pretty fucked.
Like barring any dangerous things, everything you brought with you to boot camp got put in a box you got given back to you after you graduate.
I got my pants and shirt back that I was wearing, but I'd lost 35lbs and had to hold my pants up.
Eh, it's ok. All those tools are mostly meant to kick off team conversations to make people more empathetic and understanding of different work styles/preferences so the whole becomes more than the sum of the parts.
I haven't found any to be materially better than another.
We did it at work recently. I found it more useful than Myers-Briggs or True Colors, which are the other personality tests I've taken. It seems geared specifically toward how you approach work, rather than trying to capture your personality in all facets of your life, which makes it read a lot less like a horoscope. It's harder to read someone else's strength that you scored low on and think "yeah, I could see that in me." If other people at work are recommending it to you, it can be a valuable shorthand for quickly communicating how various members of a team are likely to tackle the topic at hand, and who might be best suited for various tasks.
For example, one of my librarians pegged the dial on the strength of Wooing, which is basically the ability to treat casual work acquaintances like someone who saved your life in the war, deeply feel the wants and needs of others, and convince them of your point of view using charisma rather than facts. She is deeply interested in talking to anyone about anything, which is a wildly valuable skill in the library world. We are all a bunch of introverts who get along best with people who are fictional, dead, or both. Our baseline assumption is that everyone hates talking to strangers as much as we do, and so as the boss I'm likely to take a bunch of meetings I don't want to thinking that I'm sparing my colleagues the trauma. But Woo loves that shit! Once we know that, we can sic Woo on every potential community partner who darkens our doorstep, confident in the knowledge that both parties are coming out ahead.
By contrast, my top five strengths are Learner, Input, Ideation, Strategic, and Intellection, which add up to a wildly unbalanced and borderline pathological tendency for absorbing, analyzing, synthesizing, and connecting facts and data, and then brainstorming weird lateral conclusions. So everyone I work with knows they can say "Hey, fucko, we got a bunch of numbers here. Go do spreadsheets at them and come back with a story" and I'll be happy as a clam making graphs for the rest of the afternoon. Alternatively, they know to ask someone else to plan the big going away party for Sharon, because I also have the delicate social sensibilities of a clam.
I mean, it's still trying to boil down a whole entire human being into five facets, which is always going to be an extremely rough draft, and I would be appalled if I ever had a boss who judged me on my Strengthsfinder results over my actual daily actions. But if you've got the opportunity, and especially if your coworkers are already in on it, I think it's a pretty good tool for self-reflection and communication.
If you're interested in what the actual results look like, here's what the dossier looks like for the Learner strength:
People who are especially talented in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to
continuously improve. In particular, the process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them.
YOUR PERSONALIZED STRENGTHS INSIGHTS
What makes you stand out?
Driven by your talents, you are a rational thinker. That is, you exhibit good judgment and exercise
sound reasoning. These thought processes serve you well whenever you set out to acquire true
knowledge and/or gain a skill. You school yourself by reading, investigating, examining, experiencing,
or receiving instruction in a subject. By nature, you yearn to increase your knowledge by being kept in
the information loop. This explains why you gravitate to people who converse about ideas at a deeper
and more thoughtful level than most individuals are capable of doing. “Making small talk” — that is,
engaging in idle conversation — probably seems like a waste of time to you. It’s very likely that you
have little difficulty giving intense effort to projects, problems, or opportunities that capture and keep
your attention. Because of your strengths, you enjoy reflecting on what you already know and on what
you want to know. Your concentration leads you to major and minor discoveries. You need ample
quiet time to critically examine new information, theories, concepts, or philosophies. Wherever you go
and whatever you do, your mind is seldom at rest. You consider what you have observed. You pose
never-before-asked questions. Thinking deeply about things is a necessity for you. It is not a luxury. It
is not an option. Chances are good that you concentrate for extended periods of time. This is one
reason why you ultimately master skills and grasp concepts.
QUESTIONS
1. As you read your personalized strengths insights, what words, phrases, or lines stand out to you?
2. Out of all the talents in this insight, what would you like for others to see most in you?
IDEAS FOR ACTION:
Refine how you learn. For example, you might learn best by teaching; if so, seek out opportunities to
present to others. You might learn best through quiet reflection; if so, find this quiet time.
Develop ways to track the progress of your learning. If there are distinct levels or stages of learning
within a discipline or skill, take a moment to celebrate your progression from one level to the next. If
no such levels exist, create them for yourself (e.g., reading five books on the subject or making three
presentations on the subject).
Be a catalyst for change. Others might be intimidated by new rules, new skills, or new
circumstances. Your willingness to soak up this newness can calm their fears and spur them to
action. Take this responsibility seriously.
Seek roles that require some form of technical competence. You will enjoy the process of acquiring
and maintaining this expertise.
As far as possible, shift your career toward a field with constantly changing technologies or
regulations. You will be energized by the challenge of keeping up.
Because you are not threatened by unfamiliar information, you might excel in a consulting role
(either internal or external) in which you are paid to go into new situations and pick up new
competencies or languages quickly.
Research supports the link between learning and performance. When people have the opportunity to
learn and grow, they are more productive and loyal. Look for ways to measure the degree to which
you and others feel that your learning needs are being met, to create individualized learning
milestones, and to reward achievements in learning.
At work, take advantage of programs that subsidize your learning. Your organization may be willing
to pay for part or all of your instructional coursework or for certifications. Ask your manager for
information about scholarships and other educational opportunities.
Honor your desire to learn. Take advantage of adult educational opportunities in your community.
Discipline yourself to sign up for at least one new academic or adult learning course each year.
Time disappears and your attention intensifies when you are immersed in studying or learning. Allow
yourself to “follow the trail” by scheduling learning sessions during periods of time that will not be
interrupted by pressing engagements.
QUESTIONS
1. Which of these action items speak to you? Highlight the actions that you are most likely to take.
2. How will you commit to taking action? Write your own personalized action item that you will take in
the next 30 days.
Although for sheer utility at work, I still think the most valuable resource is this breakdown of what animal you are based on your Myers-Briggs indicator. It has led to such delightful phrases as "Brittany, you're the meerkat here. What do you think we should do about this?"
BUT
Making everyone think about themselves real hard for a day is helpful. Thus the exercise is worthwhile.
Pretty much as above. It was quite useful in terms of working out how we could work together and what everyone else liked to do in their work. For instance, I liked investigating and solving problems, understanding them, but not huge about the work of fixing them once I understood. Whereas the guy I usually worked with liked fixing problems without doing the investigation, which is why he always went of half cocked implementing fixes that didn't fix issues, because he didn't understand them first, whereas I'd spend 3 days understanding a problem that once solved I it would just start investigating something else and put off the fixing until 'when I had time'. We switched our work a little so I did more investigations then hand them of to him to implement solutions and were both a happier, more productive partnership.
Because of how tall and built I am they gave me a flight jumper and called it even saying it would take some time to find me a proper fatigues.
I got to boot in a pair of shorts and shirt I got both of them back {I was given the heads up to take things that I would not care about losing} as for shoes the DI made fun of the shoes I wore because the Boot issue nor did the base have any in stock. I ruined those shoes in boot They drove me still in boot to the shoe store San Diego went halves on them {they told the clerk to get the cheapest quality ones}
I knew back then it was a pain to get shoes in my size even now it's not as hard but still annoying.
My boot check was $75 but my signing bonus was 3,500
Even worse
On Wednesday I had scheduled 16 but only 13 showed up on a double truck Friday I had scheduled 17 only 14.5 {my Manager has the idea of only working some people now 5 hour shifts 5 days a week it doesn't help because he puts new and D list people on that shift} Yesterday sucked I think and am starting to feel the other support now gets more people to help him get done and look good because my bad days are better than his good days {an actual quote from the store manager}
I was an idiot I stayed last night and did a chunk of pets 2 pallets of chemicals and a bunch in the baking isle
It doesn't help I am getting the c and d list people on the double trucks and I am being told/encouraged to write them up which I say it doesn't help the situation. I am going to fire the worst person and if some of the people I need to talk to about their lack of eutheism.
NSFW
This will be here until I receive an apology or Weedlordvegeta get any consequences for being a bully
Curious how I would deduct Uber and Lyft trips.
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=16534
You should have your lawyer draft a DMCA takedown notice.
That was a major bummer man.
Good times man, good times
On the other hand, any day in which you get to take a sawsall to something can’t be all bad ...
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
I can't really express how useful this has been.
Thank you!
Unless you have to take a sawzall to amputate something. I guess that's still better than having to use your teeth, but less than ideal for sure!
I am sick of working
The company I work for has positions open in our Vancouver studio. I would happily recommend you if you need somewhere to land!
Yeah, BBY HQ used to be super all about StrengthsFinder a few years ago. Some departments really took it to heart, though the department I started with basically said “take this quiz and put your results in your email signature. The end.”
The most recent thing that has been going around here has been Enneagram; a 9-pointed Star where certain points link to others. Where Strengths Finder felt more “here’s what you are” Enneagram feels more “here’s what you actually are, and here’s what people think you are.”
But to highlight a point in Jedoc’s post: sharing with coworkers and actually thinking about how to use their strengths is a big part that can easily get skipped, to everybody’s detriment. People can tend to focus on the personality test, and not enough thought is put into the “Send the Woo to meet the new client” part.
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/personality-quiz/
This was interesting, but anything based on self examination and self reporting is unfortunately open to massive issues or people just flat out lying.
In addition to listing ways to improve/use your own strengths to your advantage, you can also read others’ strength profiles to get suggestions for ways to work with them, which is neat.
This will be here until I receive an apology or Weedlordvegeta get any consequences for being a bully
Seems pretty accurate.