Some observations about Tokyo...

The city is quite clean, from the streets themselves to all vehicles, including the fuel trucks that are so horribly filthy in the USA. The Cherry Blossoms were absolutely beautiful both in the dailight and above their careully lit street lights, which pointed up into the trees! The architecture is quite interesting with many large buildings appearing to be quite modern and creative. The transportation system is quite efficient and the drivers very courteous. I contrast the motorcycle drivers, for instance with Sao Paolo and they actually appear to be concerned with their own safety here. I am at Narito airport and found the check-in, security and customs to be quite efficient. The United International Club is quite nice. People in general were most eager to please and serve, the food was good, the room was clean and modern. We did not meet at the hotel, but as I mentioned below, at the Abbott offices. My only dissapointment is that the Japanese seem to like to keep the room temperature at what seemed to me to be at least 75 degrees. Most signage and announcements seem to be both in Japanese and English, which was quite comforting.

Most comforting however, is that I will be home in my own county, in my own home, bed and with Lynn in about 16 hours.

This was posting number 50, and I hope you have enjoyed my journal about the last month. It has been fun creating this journal and appreciate your allowing me to share this experience with you in this medium.

Happy blogging and a blessed Easter to all of you.

GrandBob

I am in the home stretch

Workshop went well yesterday. On my feet all morning, 10 minute hikes to and from the meeting, and from our dinner, did not do my heel any good. I will try to drink lots of water today, but feel tight all over.

My addional trips to Istanbul and Frankfurt for late April are not going to work logistically, but I will meet my guys in Chicago as an extension to a trip I have planned the first week of May. Frankly, that is fine, as I have missed being home with my first wife.

I depart today (Friday) on a 400 PM flight and arrive today (Friday) in Denver at 230 PM.
Go figure!

I am doing fine, however I think all of this travel and lack of sleep is taking its toll. I have not slept well the last two nights (without Ambien.) So I will take one on the plane this evening and when I go to bed in Colorado.

No, I did not

No I did not make it to a Kareoke bar - thank God!

Yes, I did

I went out for dinner with about 20 of the Abbott people. We went to a traditional Japanese restaurant, where we took off our shoes as I sat on this little bitty pillow on a hard bench with my legs down in this very shallow hole (my legs fell asleep) and sat for two hours eating some of the most creative "food" I have ever experienced. Some of it was good; like the fried squid, some was tolerable; like the whole fish (tasted like a whole perch,) some was OK; like the raw fish, horse, shrimp and scallops, and some was horrible, like the raw fish guts. I'll spare you any more details. I just had a couple of Tums and am looking forward to getting some sleep.

I learned the following:

ITADKEMASU means "Let's eat !"
and
HENKO KANRI means "Operating change".

I am open to change, but somewhere there has to be a limit!

A quick report on my day with the Asians

Spent the day with some very bright folks from China, Korea, Japan, and Australlia. One of the fellows went to Cornell. His boss, who is in charge of all Asia Pacific, asked me to come in to his office for a one-on-one meeting. He needs help, and wanted me to give him some advice. I had just met him. (I gave him several options.... a.k.a. SNL)

I am on my way to dinner with these folks, so I can't report any more right now. We had about a mile walk to their office, to lunch back to their office and back to the hotel. By my count that is 4 miles. My heel is not doing well. A couple of Tylenol, a change of shoes and a taxi to dinner and I better be OK. The good news is that I am to be on my feet all morning.

Sayonara.

Business activities...

I have intentionally not mentioned too much about business on this blog site, but I will report the following.

I have been working on my analysis, observations and recommendations report. My boss likes my work so far. Today I spent most of the day fine tuning that report.

The folks I am working with had called on one of their internal resources to help them with this project. She was too busy to help so she referred them to my company, as we had trained her in Change Management. She called my boss today and reported that at an international leadership meeting last week, my guys were very complimentary of her suggestion to bring us in. They were using the right terminology and doing the right stuff with their management in the meetings last week. My boss wrote me and told me I am making an impact.

My boss spoke last week with Abbott in California. They had called her saying they were hearing good things about what I was doing in their international areas and wanted to talk with her about some additional work. I assumed it was Abbot USA. No, it was Abbott corporate, three levels up from where I am working. They want to start some corporate projects in the next coulple of months and I will probably be assigned those as well!

Feels good!

Another test of my adaptability

For those of you who have created blogs, (and I guess the rest of you) there are some screens on the computer that prompt you to create a new posting, edit previous postings, save your new one as a draft, publish it, add a photograph etc.

When I was in Brazil, I noticed that these instructions were in Portugese, but I managed to figure it out. Here in Japan, the instructions look something like this:
投稿オプション
or this
ショートカット: Ctrl を次のキーと同時に押します: B = 太字, I = 斜体, S = 公開, D = 下書き 詳細

So you think I can't learn how to change?