My Personality Type: The Reliable Realist

I just undertook this personality test. I thought it might be well kept on my blog. One thing is absolutely wrong though; it says I would not like to delegate. But fact is, I am doing nothing else but delegate. This has to do with my job as coach. Coaching means delegating and (most importantly) following-up and giving feedback. Apart from that, I see myself more or less represented as Reliable Realist.


My Personality Type: The Reliable Realist


PS: I just looked at the personality type "Dynamic Thinker" and am convinced that's also me. And then, there are 14 other types. In the end, this is a little bit like astrology - all star signs fit somehow to one's personality. Anyway, I will still keep the test result up online for future references and so that I can retake it at some stage. But it's just a test based on 4 questions. 

The Metropolitan Police - a Career as Special Constable

It has been exactly 4 years and 1 day after my attestation that I resigned from the Met Police. That was about 6 weeks ago and having got a bit of time to digest what I did, I think it is time to write about my time in the Met. 

People always ask "Why did you do it at first place and join?" And I must admit, I got into it like the Virgin Mary who suddenly found herself pregnant and had no clue how and by whom.  

So, one day I read a book about freelancing and it said, one has to do some voluntary work to make it easy to talk about something when in touch with new clients, etc. The day after I read that I saw an advertisement in the Tube that the Met is looking for Special Constables - those are voluntary police officers with the same rights and duties as regular policemen, but their commitment is only 200 hours a year on a voluntary basis. This is a very British institution and not really known around the world. 

Anyway, I applied, went through the 2 days of assessment centre and got offered a place at police school. I attended. That was August 2009. And if I remember well, I wrote a few blog entries about my time there. 

My first 2 and a bit years I spent in a Safer Neighbourhood Team in Westminster and my job was mainly to patrol the streets of that area, in uniform. Sometimes though we were in plain clothes, when we did special operations. 

Those were fascinating 2 years. Every duty was different. Sometimes we did drug searches, I was involved in a raid of a pub (also drug related), we investigated crime scenes, regulated traffic, controlled crowds at special events, took calls from the radio, went out and got witness statements, and the list goes on and on. 

I took part in a few major events then - There was the Opening of Parliament and I was based right outside Buckingham Palace from where I could see the Royal carriage leave and return, and then, a major highlight, the Royal Wedding, at which I was also in front of Buckingham Palace. That was pretty amazing. The shift lasted for about 15 hours or so and I could barely stand on my feet anymore on that day. I saw the kiss on the balcony!

Another major event in those years were the London Riots. That was not so much exciting but thrilling. The riots started at a weekend and lasted for a few days. I was stuck at home and did not know about riots as I had a quiet weekend without doing anything, not even watching TV. Monday, I signed up for duty (unknowingly still) and found out on my way to the police station what happened. I signed up for 3 days and worked for about 50 hours from Monday to Wednesday. 

It was fascinating to see what kind of team spirit there actually is amongst officers in the Met. It made me feel proud being part of that team, and I dedicated all my available time that week to be part of that and fight for peace in London. It sounds all a bit overly patriotic, but it was really what it felt like in those days. 

A little bit after the riots I obtained IPS, my independent patrol status. This means, I could walk the streets of London on my own and did not have to pair up anymore with someone else. This was actually rather scary, as I could no longer rely on a partner. But I like pushing my boundaries, and patrolling alone was always exciting. One never knows what's happening in the next second. Time just passed by like crazy on days when I was on duty.

At some stage I saw that the Met was looking for special constables to attend a detective course so we could help out in SCD and CID, too. This was a pilot project and I applied, and got accepted. Together with about 15 or so, I went back to police school for a few weeks and got trained up. Suddenly, I was transferred to CID, the Major Crime Unit, permanently after I finished my training. And that's where I spent my nearly next 2 years. 

CID started for me a few months before the Olympics for which I added extra shifts so that this big event could take place smoothly across London. It was again good to be part of something and I did my share. 

Once in CID life is completely different. We got cases on the table and had to investigate. Investigation can mean - CCTV collection and viewing, taking statements, sitting in interviews, doing forensic research, and much more. 

All in all, I think it was one of the best choices I have ever made to join the Metropolitan Police. And I already planned ahead till my retirement, as I wanted to spend all my life there. It was the ideal hobby for me. As freelance consultant I always made sure, my contracts gave me flexibility to perform my duty and manage to get to my 200 hours per year and beyond. 

I was still in my bubble of happiness and feeling good that I did not anticipate radical changes within the police force. This of course led to my resignation a few weeks ago, as I find it impossible to spend time there. 

This branch of voluntary police officers, the Special Constabulary, turned into a recruitment tool for the Met. When someone wants to join the Force as a regular he or she has to become a Special first and that for about 2 years before an application was accepted. This basically means, there are tons of young volunteers who only do so because they want a job afterwards. It sounds like modern slavery. "Real volunteers" like me, who only see this as an opportunity to spend some time doing something useful, became a minority. 

There were those changes in the Met recently, a new policing model came out and all Specials were called back into uniformed service mainly at weekend nights patrolling the Westend and other busy areas and answering calls. Basically, back to the basics. And unfortunately, that does not work for me. I can't do nights at all and I need weekends for myself to relax as my daytime job as management consultant is quite demanding. And to be truthfully honest, I don't want to do nightshifts either. 

There is only one way out, and that was my resignation. It is really a shame but that's life. I tried to negotiate, but got told - either I accept the new conditions or I have to leave. And I left. It is fine now. Initially, I went through some proper bereavement, as I missed my lost status as copper a lot. Not being part of the Met was quite hard to accept for me; I really saw this as my second career. But at least now I have more time for myself and am not longer that much restricted in my life. And let's face it, there is an end to everything. 

OEE - Overall Equipment Effectiveness and the New Project.

It is about time I am updating this blog again, as I have been managing a project in Austria since April. Since it is an active project, I cannot say who the client is and what he produces. But they are producing something MTO (Make to Order) which is made of metal and which one can find in most buildings. 

I think I should write about a few features of the project in the next few entries - what I am doing here, what I am learning, etc...

The project is about raising efficiency levels in the factory and the good thing about it is, it is a coaching project where I am coaching everyone from key operators to the managing director in efficiency raising techniques. 

We are tasked to do mainly 3 things - implementing OEE, doing some core SMEDs, and installing a "Lean Corner" (daily review meetings, action plans, etc). 

OEE Definition in German

 This poster about the OEE definition is in German but it shows the 3 areas OEE is looking at - Availability (V for Verfügbarkeit), Performance (L for Leistungsgrad) and Quality (Q for Qualität). OEE itself is calculated as a multiplication of all the 3 of them. 

Being Found - another Feature of the UK Labour Market.

One other feature of that very labour market I find myself in is that it disables one to actively search for jobs at the company one might want to work for. There are a few sites with job openings (for consulting and similar industry jobs) but all of them are advertised by agencies. It seems, all companies solely recruit via agencies! 

This is an important finding, as agencies operate differently to what a company would do "back in the old days" when we all bought our weekend newspapers and answered job advertisements. 

Since agencies completely took over in the UK, the dynamics of the labour market have changed dramatically; it is faster, more precise, and it does not enable one anymore to search actively;

Faster: Jobs are active on the market only for a few days. In most cases, I feel, it is not even worth looking at adverts older than a week, sometimes even days (I refer to Monster.co.uk adverts, etc). As reference point, think back in the days when a job was advertised in the newspaper and deadline was 3 or 4 weeks ahead. Those days are clearly gone! 

When looking for a temporary job as freelancer, these adverts get outdated 2 days maximum after they have appeared on the market. 

More precise: Here, please refer back to my other article I wrote last week about the perversion of the labour market; if a company wants to hire a one-legged executive production director who dyes his hair once a week with the colour pink and has 35 years of specific sector experience, he is being found! 

Active search: Since the takeover of the agencies, the labour market, at least my niche I am finding myself in, is no longer actively searchable. One is being searched and found nowadays! 

The only way to be active is ensuring one can be found. So, what one needs to do is to regularly update LinkedIN and XING and go to Monster and TotalJobs and pretend to update something, just so the system knows you are an "active searcher". What I also do, I have a list of agencies and I send them my CV regularly in order to ensure I am on top of their pile when going through CVs. 

And unfortunately, that's all one can do; one needs to ensure one is being found!

The Perversion of the UK Labour Market

Example: There is a company in the food production industry who is in need of a new Operations Director. This director is supposed to have the following qualifications and experience:
- 20 years of experience in the food industry of which 10 years in a management position
- Not older than 45 years
- Having a black belt in Six Sigma
- Speaking English plus at least 2 further European languages fluently
- And who goes once a week to the hairdresser to colour his/her hair in pink. 

The perversion about the UK labour market is, and possibly any other labour market, a headhunter will find exactly this person, and not only one specimen but at least 5 for a shortlist. 

I do see the point from a headhunter's view - "client wants, client gets" and of course, being in the service industry myself, that's the leitmotif of all of us. What I am concerned about though is that this is a sheer tick box exercise. I have had so many phone calls from headhunters who literally tick off their list and then they send your CV off. Nobody ever asks about the candidate's personality or what he does in his spare time, what hobbies he has, etc. And the result can be, that a robot who fulfils all those criteria, but who has the personality of a Bernadine dog gets the job rather than someone who is also suitable, but who probably does not exactly match all those requirements. 

If someone wants to change his career and do something completely different, it will be a drag to find any job, because ticking the box does not leave any room for manoeuvre for any candidate. There is always someone who ticks all those boxes and the one who only meets a few criteria does not stand a chance. 

I am currently in a similar position. Say, I wanted to apply for the role above, and taking away the pink hair bit, I would never get the job even though I know everything about production, tick off many of the criteria, and am sure I would do a great job. In the end, I have "only" been a consultant but never done the management bit of the position, hence I will never get the chance of even getting invited. 

This is clearly frustrating and sometimes I could scream, especially when getting a short e-mail from a headhunter telling me how great I am, but unfortunately not great enough. But okay, that's how things go and I don't want to sound like a frustrated housewife. Rant over! 

What does one do?

One of the things I ought to write down is an account of what I would typically do on a project. In the last few years I was busy with manufacturing and supply chain projects. When looking at those subjects below I would normally check first if these exist and if, if they are effective and efficient.

ORGANISATION:
The organisation is lean
Frontline supervision exists
Separation between Planning and Operations
Training plans for workers and management are in place
Flexibility charts exist, are up to date and used

PLANNING:
Independent Planning department
Planning tools installed based on production standards
Plans are fixed and adhered to
Production standard hours for each product or product group
Communication link between Planning and Production, Procurement and Sales
Reports to measure planning attainment
Procurement arranges JIT deliveries to meet production plan
Planning reviews and manages stock
Obsolete stock is managed (and prevented from existing), scrap and rework are dealt with
There are regular stock reports with action plans

MANUFACTURING:
The shift system is effective
The factory is clean and cleaning plans exist
Production standard hours are known and used
A production plan is agreed upon and followed regularly
KPIs and reports are sufficient and effectively used, also communicated
Daily Planning and Review Meetings with frontline supervision exist
Weekly Planning and Review Meetings among management exist
An agenda for both meetings is in place, also an Action Plan which is used religiously
There are tools for Active Supervision on the shop floor (such as short interval controls)
Machines are used and capacity is known
Scrap is dealt with and hopefully avoided
There are breakdown registers at each machine which would then go into the daily report
Link between Production, Maintenance, Planning, Logistics
Change over procedures are in place (SMED)

MAINTENANCE:
Plans for regular and preventative maintenance are in place and managed
Maintenance reaction time to breakdowns is quick
There are KPIs which show how much time was used for preventative and breakdown maintenance
Machines have a repair history and are assigned with work orders
There is an effective meeting structure in place within Maintenance and to other departments
Engineers are trained and cross-trained

QUALITY:
Quality procedures are in place
Quality is a strong department and independent
Quality processes are well embedded within the production processes
Sampling is done according to plan, tests are undertaken timely
Regular communication to Production and Planning, also to R&D
Quality is not only a topic for the Q department, but Production should feel the need for quality too
Effective internal review meetings are in place, with agenda and action plans

This was just me thinking out loud. There are of course many more subjects within a usual project. I can only think of "new article development" and "article deletion" which have both a tremendous effect on manufacturing and planning. And the list goes on and on. 

All in all, I know what's going on in any operations department, where to look at and what do to do fix problems and implement an ideal organisation and processes.

Freelance vs Employment

It is "in between project time" again and I am looking for something new. To get me started, I think I should use my blog again, as type of self-coaching tool, where I would sit and write about my steps in the process to look for a new job or project. 

One of the problems I have faced so far is: What on earth do I actually want? Headhunters call and tell me about some job they have and then ask whether I like it. I would say "yes" or "no" but in the end, I feel I am missing a list of things I should look out for more categorically rather than imagining I could do something or not. 

The first step today is to think about freelancing vs employment. What do I want? 


THOUGHTS ON FREELANCING:

I have been freelancing for the last few years and for me it works pretty well. I would be hired for a project and these assignments can last from a few weeks to a few years. I like freelancing, as it gives me lots of flexibility which I appreciate so highly. It also allows me to do my voluntary job whenever I want to do it and not necessarily on a weekend (I am not allowed to write about my voluntary job but I mentioned it on my blog somewhere. Let's say it involves the terms "law and order"). 

Recently, I started to wonder whether I should go back to employment, as there are also negative sides to freelancing: It is not so much those few weeks or months in between projects, it is also that one reaches a glass ceiling and the jobs out there for freelancers can all be a bit "basic" at times. Lucky me, mine were good so far, but I know what's out there. I am ready for more in my life and feel I need to push my career a bit more. Nonetheless, I would still go ahead with freelancing and projects as I find it satisfying and rewarding to help my clients to be successful. 

Typically, these are the areas where I would see myself working in:

- Management Consultant/Project Manager/Programme Manager/Project Director/PMO for a consultancy company that specialises in operational excellence, efficiency and performance improvements, coaching, change management, manufacturing and supply chain.
- The same as above, but contracting directly to the end-client rather than through a consultancy company.

Freelance heaven would be, if I had a list of all sorts of clients who I could call or who would call regularly for shorter assignments and keep me busy. 


THOUGHTS ON EMPLOYMENT:

Employment is a different beast. Even though flexibility seems gone, this does not mean that I would enter a life of boredom and being restricted to the daily treadmill. Employment is still an essential way to climb up the career ladder and put more long-term meaning into one's work life, rather than hunting from project to project. 

What would I like to consider where I could use my skills the best? That would be of course any position where one is needed who can detect causes of all sorts of problems arising in companies and deal with them effectively. I can imagine this to be a board or "reporting to board" position, possibly in Operations. 

It would be an industry job, somewhere manufacturing or supply chain. Or in the internal consulting branch of a major international player that is looking to strengthen their continuous improvement efforts. 

I am a bit hesitant to work for another consultancy company. Somehow I have done that during the first few years in my life and it feels I have done it enough. I would not like to rule it out though, as I could possibly like a Regional Operations Director role or anything similar to that. 

Last week I met a headhunter who is looking for 2 positions: The one is for a company that looks to get outsource contracts from the national security industry and the other one is one of the major international property services companies. For the first I am interesting because of my voluntary job AND my knowledge of performance improvement, for the latter only my consulting knowledge would be of advantage as I would come in to ask all the right and difficult questions which would then enable them to think "improvement and change". 

What I like about these 2, those are completely new areas for me. I never worked in either, the security nor building industry. What a challenge to tackle!


EXPERIENCE AS FREELANCER:

If my conclusion is that in the end I should possibly consider another full-time position, would that mean I have to automatically say freelancing was not worth doing? Absolutely not! One learns so many essential skills as freelancer; the best thing for me is that I know I can rely on myself and can do it all alone. I learned to ask for business and find opportunities, as in the old days I always expected work would be there for me one way or another. I am responsible for whatever I am doing and there is no organisation in which I could hide and wait till the storm is over. These are all extremely good skills and I am very proud of having them.  

In the end, freelance work or employment, it does not really matter. Once I commit to an assignment or job I do it full-heartedly. So yes, let's get this job hunt going and see what I will come up with.