Note: I’m No Superhero

How cool it would be to actually be one; able to leap tall buildings in single bound, read peoples’ minds, regenerate wounds at a tremendous pace, stop time, be invisible, or be ultra rich like Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne and have all those cool gadgets.

Ain’t gonna happen though.

Since the last week of March I have been underneath a huge pile of deliverables from work and had to balance my time with my family. Although I was fortunate enough to be chosen to undergo a Lean Six Sigma Training, it took me to a whole new different path that required most of my time and focus. It was like going through college at the same time working for a full shift.



Being a belt holder for Lean Six Sigma is something that I really want to achieve, as it certifies an individual as sort of a corporate problem solver. It does not require someone to have superpowers to eliminate a problem; it basically molds you to be able to Define what the problem is, Measure the data to identify what causes the problem, Analyze how to scientifically solve it, creating the necessary Controls and eventually leading to Improvement.The training itself put us in a grind and after each training day you had to allot a few hours at the office just to catch up on things or at least read through a few hundred emails from your Microsoft Outlook.

My Six Sigma project focuses on employees who go on AWOL during their first 6 months of employment. A similar project was supposed to be done 2 years back but was scraped due to a couple of reasons…there are too many behavioral factors to consider and most of the folks that went on AWOL can no longer be contacted to get their feedback on why the suddenly left the company without any notification. But here it is again.

My Sigma mentor gave me tremendous encouragement that we can complete this project and put an end to its curse. I am all up for it. But then again, how will I ever find out the root cause of why people leave without any advice. Even if I am able to gather feedback from them, it makes you wonder if it’s really the truth. What underlying reason are they hiding from their employer? It’s such a mystery to me as to why it’s hard for these characters to simply just tell the company, “hey, you know what, I don’t want to work here anymore, and I would just like to resign.”, and just consider going on AWOL without thinking of the repercussions that their records are smeared for this kind of behavior. Is it really that hard to speak up? Is the Human Resources department really that scary that it’s hard to open up to them?

This is when I wish I was Professor Xavier, leader of the X-Men. Considered to be the most powerful telepath, who is able to read people’s minds, or better, to take control of their brain and make them do as you wish.



This way, I am able to dig up whatever truth that lies beneath, that is pushing these employees to commit the act of AWOL, and then inject their brain cells with thoughts and reasons that will make them stay. But I’m no superhero.

The day does not end when I step out of the office. When I get home I spend the most time I can with my kids, even if my head hurts from lack of sleep, how can I decline the request of my 3-year old son who would tell you, “Dad, don’t sleep, let’s play first.” And I can’t say no when I know this puts a smile on his face.

My eldest kid who is almost a teenager, since it’s summer, he often hangs out in my room playing PS3, and again, I pretty much have to balance things out, I sometimes play along. I am actually amazed that he got an interest into playing Magic the Gathering cards, so usually these are the hobbies that I use to bond with him.

And probably in a few months when my 7-month little princess turns one, I can only imagine the riot at home. How will I get any sleep? This is where I wish I were Multiplex, a villain from DC comics, that has the power to fission apart into multiple copies of himself.

This way, my duploids as Multiplex calls it, can handle all three!! But, I’m no superhero.

Over the weekend, I am tasked to oversee the company’s basketball team who joined the Call Center Olympics recently. So far the team is 2-0, but we still have a long way to go. This pretty much eats up half a day of my Saturday or Sunday, considering that the venue is quite far from the metro and the team’s call time is an hour before the actual game. And that’s just one league; it’s fortunate that I did not join other commercial leagues this summer.

A lot of family stuff happens during weekends, and there is actually little time for me to relax. Before I know it, my work week is about to start already. This is where I wish I was Hiro Nakamura from the TV series Heroes, whose ability is to manipulate time and has teleportation.

This way, I can stop time during weekends and teleport to places without the hassle of going through metro traffic. But, I’m no superhero.

Why choose among the three when I can wish to be all of them or even greater? I am talking about being Thanos, and possessing his Infinity Gauntlet. (If you've seen the movie Avengers, at the end credits he is the purple-faced villain and most likely will be the Avengers' next opponent.)

The Infinity Gauntlet of course contains the Infinity Gems: Soul, Time, Space, Mind, Reality and Power. Whoever possess the guantlet will gain:

Omnipotence - ability to do anything even the logically impossible;

Omniscience - ability to infinitely know everything;

Omnipresence - ability of being everywhere.



But, I'm no superhero.

I may be overwhelmed and over-fatigued, I may not have the superpowers that I dream of having to assist me, but I know that I have the will and the strength to pull this through, the commitment and dedication to achieve good deeds, and of course I have the help, support and love of my “Super-Friends” at work and at home.

“When you do nothing, you feel overwhelmed and powerless. But when you get involved, you feel the sense of hope and accomplishment that comes from knowing you are working to make things better.” - Anonymous