Monday, June 01, 2009

Being Nice or Being Honest?

For some reason, a coworker of mine has put my name on a list to be surveyed by his MBA program. The survey is about him and I will have to rate him on 40 different questions that are supposed to help define his leadership abilities. The thing is that he is a buffoon. I'm not sure why he even put my name on the list and it makes me wonder what he thinks it is that I think about him. I've never called him a buffoon, of course, but there is no reason for him to think that I am a big fan of his either. So, here I am, feeling stuck with the responsibility to respond to a survey that rates some on their effectiveness as a leader, when I don't have that great an opinion of the person nor a close working relationship with him. Am I obligated to even respond to the survey? He never asked me about it. He just sent out an email to everyone that he put on the list. If I respond, should I be honest about what I think his abilities are or should I softpedal it? The easy thing to do would be to ignore it, so I might just do that. But, if I answer, I feel like I have to tell the truth as I see it. The only problem with that is that I think he'll see that it was me, which means that my answers will potentially have ramifications for him in both his MBA program and for the two of us here in the office. Crappy situation all around, but part of me relishes the chance to be honest about someone who is obviously a clown.

What would you do?

Two Weeks and Little to Show

The good news is that I've been running consistently. But that is the only thing that I've been able to stick with so far. Sleep is up and down, partly because my job has been very stressful and I've had a lot of work to do in the evenings. And, as is always the case, when I'm up late, I eat at night. So, my snacking continues and I haven't lost a single pound. Still 180, despite running 38 miles this past week.

I've got time, but I've wasted time. I could be 2-3 weeks in, 2-3 pounds lighter, and that much closer to my goal. Instead, I'm basically still at the start. Kind of depressing, but each day is a chance to try all over again.