Corrections and Time Flies

We've been in Indonesia over a month, now - or, as my wife likes to say: "1/24th our commitment". This Friday will mark 4 weeks in the office for me. Feels like I just arrived, which I guess is a good thing. I'm very pleased with the progress we are making as a team. I firmly believe I will be able accomplish my objective within the 2 year time frame, possibly even sooner.

Two of the goals we established for my time here was to enforce standardization and a develop a cohesive team. On Monday, my chain of command all the way up to the CIO was in the office as a brief check-in. They do this 1-2 times per year, so this wasn't, necessarily, a check-up on me. My management team and I decided we would demonstrate standardization and team cohesion in a very visible way. When they arrived at the office in the early afternoon, they were greeted by 35 people all wearing white shirts and black pants. We said it was the STANDARD uniform for the TEAM.

When I told my colleagues over dinner Monday night about our unique experience at the Jakarta zoo, they all said they weren't surprised. None of them had ever been to that zoo. If the middle class locals don't go, I'm not surprised we stood out.

In my last posting, I said we celebrated "Mother's Day". Apparently the translation didn't quite fit. On Monday, our internal newsletter sent out pictures of the event under the title of "Kartini Day". This is like if the US had a Susan B Anthony day. Raden Ayu Kartini is considered an Indonesian heroine for her efforts in women's rights. All of the events of the week were in celebration of her life.