I recently had the pleasure of speaking with an entrepreneurial professional about the challenges and opportunities of stepping away from the structured corporate career ladder to an existence that is totally foreign to me.  One of the tactics she suggested is to completely re-do my curriculum vitae from one that is past-focused to one that shifts the point to "what-I-can-do-for-you-in-the-future". For those of you in the business, a functional rather than a chronological approach.

So I am going to do this (while still keeping the historic version in my back pocket), but I am also going to focus on anticipating the behavior-based thinking processes that dominate the middle market and large corporate approaches to hiring. For example, how do I craft a resume element that deals with this question: Tell me about the riskiest management decision you have made.   How long did it take you to gather the information to make the decision?  How long after that to make the decision?  What were the results?

It's almost as though I need to create a library of functional and behavioral components that I can draw on to fit the situation: one from column A, two from column B, etc. I'm going to work on this over the next several weeks and share my results as appropriate. 

I'm also taking up a new hobby which for me is really a rebirth of a very old one: fly-fishing. I've already recalled some techniques which apply to the travelogue: keep your hooks sharp, match your fly to what the fish are currently feeding on, practice your cast to make the best presentation possible, move from place to place to find likely targets, keep a hooked fish's head up, expect to spend a lot of time without a bite, talk to the locals to find the best spots, catch and release...the analogies continue....

A recent report from the Center for Human Resources at Wharton suggests that deep job cuts at corporations in the US and around the world are not the direct result of the tanking economy, but rather reflect operational and strategic issues that companies have effectively hidden over time. The onion-peeling effect of collapsed capital markets has brought these inefficiencies to light, and companies which reduce workforce in order to meet the next quarterly financial forecast may suffer more in the long run by not incorporating workforce planning into their recovery strategies. The report goes on to state that historically, corporate layoffs have a terrible track record, and contribute to future declines in overall performance. 

One insight from this report is that companies may assume that workers are a "just-in-time" resource that can be ramped up in a heartbeat. Let 'em go today, bring 'em back tomorrow. (Curiously, this was a fundamental plank of the UAW business model; amazingly, up until a few weeks ago, idled UAW workers were being paid by the industry for not working.) 

Wharton's supposition leads me to believe that those companies which accomodate this approach are actually increasing the chances for future operational issues and inefficiencies. Workers are not like engine parts, which can be manufactured to maintain a just-in-time inventory process. Here's a perfect example: the call center business.

In a call center, bodies-in-chairs is the fundamental objective. This has to be done within budget, while maintaining service levels and quality control. Since most call centers experience a turnover ratio in excess of 20%, managers, in effect, are re-tooling their resources at least 20% of the time. Assuming that new hires require a minimum number of hours (weeks) of product, service, systems, process, and customer management training, managers actually hire ahead of the attrition rate- if they wait for openings to occur, service levels and quality will tank, and both clients, the customer and the company, will lose out. The fact that somewhere around 20-30% of new hires wash out before they even get in the chair adds to the problem.

How do these managers get around this issue? They forecast: hourly call volume, workforce shrinkage, average call length, and a myriad of other factors which occur, including operations and system issues, new product releases, recalls--anything that will cause a customer to pick up the phone and call. 

This is an area where companies need to bring more discipline. Their strategic planning may not effectively forecast business conditions for the necessary re-tooling of the workforce. Just as they create a queue heading out the door, they should keep the incoming pipe open, particularly as it relates to quality. Now is the time to pick the market for the best and brightest. Essentially, re-tooling does not necessarily mean just layoffs, and companies which are not currently forecasting to incorporate workforce improvements into their recovery plans will again contribute to the next cycle of inefficiency and workforce reduction.

In my dubious career I've had a few different vocations. At one time I worked as a laborer doing rehab construction in Philadelphia, in the general vicinity of the Penn campus. A plumber I worked with once told me that there are only two things a plumber has to know, "shit flows downhill, and you get paid on Friday".

He was half-right. It's flowing downhill for sure, if you look at the daily announcements of layoffs by downstream companies in the economy, but nobody's getting paid on Friday except the banks, to whom we have given $350 billion to pad their balance sheets, with no accountability or urgency to track the money trail.

Financials, manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, suppliers, retailers, services, and all their supply chains have caught the layoff flu, and it appears there is no end in sight. What's a no-job traveler to do? 

Yes, it's bad, but consider our numbers today compared to the past. John Campanelli in the Cleveland Plain Dealer points out a few of these in today's edition: 12 month inflation rate in 1980 was 14.6%, in 2008 1.1%; decline in the Dow 1930-1932 was 75%, from 2006 to 2008 18.1%. The one that grabbed me was the percentage of the economy's jobs that were lost: 1980's recession, 3%, this recession, 1.7%.

Now we all know that good statisticians can make the numbers dance, and here's the problem with that last number: what is the denominator of total jobs in the 80's versus today? How many real, living, breathing human beings are out of work? Here's a fact from the Bureau of Labor Statistics: In 2008, payroll employment fell by 2.6 million, the largest annual employment decrease, in absolute terms, since 1945. Remember what happened in 1945? The armed forces discharged a whole lot of employees, and the WWII military/industrial complex tooled down, eliminating jobs in that supply chain. In my opinion, those anomalies negatively skew the 1945 data, making our current situation that much more devastating. It's a different economy, folks, than we've ever encountered before. The house of cards has fallen.

I spoke with a headhunter last week who told me to stop reading the news, and focus on the fact that there is only one job out there: the one I am destined to find. I think I'll take his advice.

I just finished The Pursuit of Victory, a scholarly biography of Horatio Nelson, Admiral of the British Navy at the turn of the 18th century. By "scholarly" I mean that almost one-third of the book are footnotes and appendices, and just about every sentence is referenced (which I ignored while reading, since if you don't have the source at hand, why bother?).

Nelson won the four greatest sea-battles of his time, defeating the French, Spanish, Dutch, Danes, Russians, and their assorted allies: the battles of St. Vincent, The Nile, Copenhagen, and Trafalgar, where he was killed by French musket fire. He died in 1805. He was adored by the people, loved and honored by his crews, and disliked (sometimes despised) by his peers and superiors, until they actually had a chance to work directly with him. 

He was self-promoting, vain, sickly (he contracted malaria as a young lieutenant which plagued him all his life), he lost his arm and an eye in two different defeats, and he was generally vilified for his long affair with Emma Hamilton, the wife of a long-time friend. King George III hated him, and took every opportunity to snub him, yet Nelson was primarily responsible for keeping Napoleon bottled up at sea, despite being outmanned and outgunned. 

I'm not suggesting that you read the book unless this sort of history interests you, but there are some important things I took away:

• Nelson was a successful leader because he treated his sailors and officers with respect and discipline. He was obsessive about training, and drilled his crews to fire two shots for the enemy's one, more than making up for the enemy's superior numbers
• He maximized the resources at his disposal.
• He planned his tactics in consultation with his officers, and once the plan was agreed upon, they practiced the plan.
• He delegated authority to his captains, but maintained control.
• His plans were gamechanging and surprised the enemy. Rather than wasting time in maneuvers, he took the battle directly to them, cutting through their line of battle and engaging yardarm to yardarm.
• His courage was legendary; he led by example, and his was often the first ship to engage and board an enemy.
• He rewarded where appropriate, and censured when necessary.

He also failed in many ways:

• During peacetimes (there were several), he was a fish out of water. He was a terrible politician, often alienating friends and allies. 
• He was easily swayed by flattery, pomp and circumstance, and adorned himself with medals, ribbons, and sometimes ridiculous jewelry, which he displayed as much to irritate his peers as to boost his ego.
• He was arrogant enough to believe that whatever he did was righteous, and often ignored external factors that directly caused defeat or embarassment for the Crown. When he lost, it was always someone else's fault, or out of his control.
  
• He was compulsive about money. He once declined a peerage because he could not support the requisite lifestyle. He was never rich, nor lucky with money. This dogged him like the malaria.
• He never felt that the ruling parties or the Crown gave him enough credit for his accomplishments, and he was right; much of this was due to his vanity, and his habit of jumping over the chain of command with his demands.

He was absolutely the right man for most of the job, and absolutely the wrong man for the other parts. At sea, he was indomitable, on land he was inadequate. Politics and managing alliances were part of his job description; these required diplomacy and discretion, not Nelson's strong suits. Yet when the chips were down, he was the one called upon to plan and execute success, and he did. Nevertheless, I wonder how his performance review would have read? 

What Nelson really needed was an experienced politician in his retinue who could pilot him through the civilian components of his work. He could have used a chief of staff with talents in communications, project management, building consensus, and managing resources not directly under his jurisdiction. Nelson needed someone to remind him when he was over his head, and when to keep his mouth shut.

So, as I look at opportunity in this market, I will want to ask the questions: what will be required of me from both my strengths and shortcomings; will I have to provide leadership in the embassy as well as from the quarterdeck? Will I have the flexibility and authority to build a strong team with complementary skills and competencies? Will I get the help I need to work through difficult, unfamiliar situations? Will I be given the resources and training to "never mind maneuvers, go right at 'em"? Finally, will I receive adequate rewards and recognition for my efforts?

I am my own worst enemy, because I am answerable only to myself. Each day I have a plan, either written or in my head, and each day I fail to accomplish what I set out to do.  There is always something more important that crops up. 

I know from personal experience in managing teams that 40% to 60% of my day will be unplanned, putting out fires with staff, projects, risk management, politics, major crises. To keep this in perspective, I subscribe to the "jumping monkey" theory of work, i.e., monkeys will jump to me from someone else's shoulder: jumping upward from a direct report, sideways from a partner, downward from a boss. I also jump my own monkeys to others, up, down, and sideways. The idea is to make sure the monkey keeps moving, ends up on the right shoulder, and gets fed or disappears. I'm pretty good at keeping those suckers moving, although occasionally I'll glance backward and there sits one I thought had jumped, grinning at my naivete. Sometimes they bite.

But in the no-job travelogue, there are no staff, associates, or executives, just me. I am all three. So, there should be fewer monkeys, right? Not so. My monkeys are all of my own making; most come from fear and uncertainty. They jump from one shoulder to another, and more keep showing up every day, so that it seems there is a troop of Kipling's howlers driving me to the ruins, chanting  We are great. We are free. We are wonderful. We are the most wonderful people in all the jungle! We all say so, and so it must be true.

I'll find any excuse not to deal with them: I need a haircut, have to pick up something at the store, must finish that next chapter in the book I'm reading, and I'll get to those monkeys later. Except that later means more of them. 

So here is what I have to do: I have to go after the biggest, meanest monkey I have, and get rid of it, while keeping the others at bay. Then, I'll go after the next biggest one, and so on, until the population is manageable and I'm moving forward again in my own direction. That's my plan.

I'll start tomorrow.

There are few things more important when chefing than careful prep, whether your buyers are one thousand college students, the Governor and his education staff, Tony and Carmelo Soprano, or your co-workers at a Christmas party. I've done them all (except for Tony and his "family", although I did work a short stint at an Italian place on the Black Horse Pike in South Jersey, so I came close), and learned that you had better be ready for anything. In one instance one of new my cooks, Igga, was responsible for cooking the dinner vegetables at the cafeteria. I figured he knew enough to cook four pans of brocccoli, then stage each batch as an empty pan came back from the line. I was on the slicer on the other side of the kitchen, doing the same for top round portions, when I happened to check on his progress. Much to my surprise, he was stretched out on the lower table shelf, sound asleep. Fifteen pans of broccoli sat in the food warmers, quickly turning to mush. He over-prepped. He also shortly found new employment.

Another time I was part of a team producing a ten course hot-cold dinner for a celebrity speaker and a crowd of alumni muckety-mucks. Managers from different locations were brought in to keep things running smoothly. We had bought a case of heavy cream quarts (in thick glass bottles with crimped paper lids, the good stuff) to be whipped just in time for the dessert course. This was assigned to a manager from another location, who dumped the cream into a large floor mixer, added a touch of vanilla, a dash of sugar, and turned the mixer on high. Then he disappeared. Apparently he was pretty well snockered by the time his job came around, and he was off having another wee bit. When the chef came for the whipped cream, he had fifteen pounds of butter staring up at him. The chef motioned for me to follow him into the cooler, where he revealed another case of cream that he had ordered just in case. Dessert was slightly delayed, but the strawberries romanoff were a success.

I guess the point is that when the interview comes, it pays to be ready, but not pat. I've interviewed candidates who wanted things done on their own agenda (like Igga), and candidates who went on and on about the same things, even though the interview had moved on (like the whipped cream). I've also had the pleasure of hiring candidates who had a plan and adjusted on the fly, because they prepared and rehearsed any situation. It's a dialogue, folks. Pretend you're talking to your mother, but make sure you know what you want to say, and when. Do your prep work. Your credibility is at stake. 

Now here's what I call a perfect interview. Watch and learn.

According to the New York Times, the nation lost 524,000 jobs in December, capping off a year in which 2.6 million workers were put on the street, for a current unemployment rate of 7.2%. Conversely, that means a 92.7% employment rate, right? Not too bad...

Not really. I think we would all be surprised at the true employment rate (does anyone know where to find this statistic?). The iceberg of unemployment should calculate those who have not filed for benefits, those who are not eligible for benefits, those whose benefits have expired, and those who have given up on the whole thing and are trying to earn piecemeal in the shadow cash economy.

This all makes me begin to feel as though I am part of an organism which is metastasizing while the medical team is looking for a silver bullet. 

I'm not sure that those who are still on the job feel any different. They see their employers in the process of selling themselves, snapping up deals, or filing for bankruptcy, and those rumors are deadly for production and efficiency. 

So how do we get beyond the negativity and find our way back into the 92.8%?

First, get back to basics. Here is my favorite: there are only two jobs in any company: you are either in Sales, or you support Sales. Decide in which half your talent lies, and create the right angle for your story.

Second, follow a Sales process in building your plan. Here are the components of the Sales process:

Pre-approach: research and target who you want to sell to, and just as importantly, who is in a position to buy.

Approach: Use available contact methodologies to reach the buyer: mail, email, telephone, headhunter, social networking, physical networking to get the interview.

Fact/feeling finding: this starts by leveraging the information uncovered in the pre-approach, and building on that with specifics from a job description. If there is no specific job description (which should include a summary, essential job functions, marginal job functions, required qualifications, required skills and competencies, preferred skills, equipment used, training available, and specific location), be wary- that employer hasn't thought it through. Note that "feeling" is just as critical as "fact". The company feelings will become particularly apparent in a behavior-based interview process, and you can also find this out by communicating with current and past employees, if possible. Line up your features and benefits directly to their needs and feelings. Read between the lines during the interview, and be prepared with a series of probing questions of your own (which cannot be answered with a "yes" or a "no"). In fact, why not turn the tables and ask a few behavior-based questions of your own--"Tell me about a time when your market research played a critical part in a competitive assessment. How did you do your research? What did you discover? How did you use that information to better position your product/service? What was the impact on sales and revenue?" 

Close: You are the solution to the company's needs. Their investment in you will provide a return that exceeds their company ROI. How do you find out what the company ROI is? If the company is publicly traded, this is a matter of record. If the company is private, estimate based on your research of public companies in the same general business. How do you calculate your personal ROI? Take the total compensation from your previous job and divide into the revenue or value you claim on your resume: whether you were in Sales or supporting Sales, you must lay a claim to some specific contribution for the work you did. Know your number.

Ask for referred leads: If you land the job, become an inside referral source for your network; if you do not land, ask the prospective employer if he/she is aware of any other opportunities inside or outside the company. Ask them if they will become part of your network, possibly through a LinkedIn or Facebook connection. Note: referred leads bring you back full circle to pre-approach.

As I look at the market, the climate, and prospects, I plan take to heart the motto of General "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell, U.S Army: "Illegitimati non carborundum".

Yesterday the travelogue roadies packed up plastic storage boxes of Christmas and other holiday accoutrement for the next show (will it be here, in the same place?) and the venue returned to normal. One event during the take-down stands out, though---the last thing to go was the tree, which had been painstakenly selected by the roadie team in the space of five minutes at our favorite tree place, which, we were sadly informed, has played their last waltz and will sell out to the local military-industrial complex in 2009. It was really the home-made wine samples which attracted us to them in the first place, so we'll compromise and bring our own to a different chopper-lopper next year.

As the head roadie and me carried the tree to the curb, we were startled by a ceramic clunk-crash, as an overlooked ornament hit the concrete driveway. This was particularly disconcerting to me, as I had assumably combed the tree and completely removed the eclectic selection of balls, figurines, santas, reindeer, kitchen utensils, fish, angels, animals, boats, superheroes, barbie dolls, sports figures (Muhammed Ali and Joe Namath), and knick-knacks before trashing. 

The unfortunate victim was a Hummel, one of several kindly sent to us annually by our Miami aunt. As I picked up the pieces, I was struck by the implication: I had failed in my attention to detail in clearing the tree. I had not done it right the first time.

No excuses, I just rushed the process so I could get the job done faster. Had I been working for me, I (manager) would have been alerted to subsequently review each and every activity of me (employee) to prevent a future drop, not a very productive or empowering management technique. Although I do believe in the 80-20 rule, (if something is 80% ready to go, and you know the remaining 20% will not materially impact rollout and will be completed within a reasonable amount of time, then go ahead and roll out), it's only valid AS LONG AS YOU HAVE IDENTIFIED THE 20%! Last minute surprises require too much high maintenance and micro-management, and losing trust in associates is not good for the leader or the team. 

After careful review of the broken figurine, I realized I could save it with that essential gunk of households and golf bags (use it to seal split fingertips), superglue. It was a well-built solid piece of ceramic, not hollow. Hummel quality. So, I repaired it good as new, wrapped it in paper, and stored it away with its compadres. Had it been shattered in a thousand pieces, I would have rued it and chucked it. Lesson learned: some mistakes can be fixed, and they are easier to fix if they are built with a solid infrastructure, and you have the right expertise and glue to make it work.

So here are two more New Year's resolutions for me: sweat the details when I am responsible for them, and fix what I have broken. 

By the way, I went over the tree again as it sat on the curb. Nothing but branches and needles as I did a final check on my work before the trash truck came. Do it before it's too late.

Last night I watched the Cavs come from behind to beat a determined Miami Heat team. Aside from being a homer, I can't help but admire the team that Mike Brown coaches. With well-placed newbies like Mo Williams, Delonte West, and Ben Wallace, Brown has molded the top defense in the league, and taken the heat off LeBron James on the offensive end.  They are beautiful to watch on and off the court. 

And, they invoke the admirable traits of great organizations: consultative leadership, unselfish distribution of opportunities, highly skilled workers, and a focus that great defense leads to game-winning offense. 

Great leaders don't have to be great players. Mike Brown broke into the NBA as a videotape reviewer, and learned the game from within without once dribbling the ball on the clock. He delegates appropriate decisions to his leadership team,  and he applauds their successes, while taking the heat himself for all mistakes. He coaches, he doesn't "tyell".

The team itself plays like a superstar, although arguably the best player in the NBA is their leader, and could, if he wanted, focus on himself and his own personal goals. But he doesn't. That comes from the top, and James knows that his legacy will be defined by team success, not individual accomplishments. Know any sales teams out there that could improve under that formula? 

Interesting that the Cavs are owned by Dan Gilbert, founder and Chairman of Quicken Loans, a leader in direct to consumer home financing that did not go under or need a bailout to continue operating in this harsh environment. Consider that Dan himself conducts orientation for new employees, focusing on his "ISMs" for success. Here are some examples: "Obsessed with finding a better way"; "You'll see it when you believe it"; "Numbers and money follow, they do not lead"; "We eat our own dog food"...and many others. The leader sets the tone.

Probably the most underrated contributor to the Cavs is Ben Wallace. He can't shoot, can't dribble, you hold your breath whenever he gets the ball, and an opponent's best stop is the "whack-a-Ben" defense, which puts a 40% foul-shooter on the line. But the man can play defense, alter plays with tenacious top-of-the-key doubleteams, fall back to the paint, and flap one of those long wings to apply a facial to the best drivers in the league. He has very specific skills that will not fit into every organization, but his contribution is maximized by how he is used in the Cavs' defensive schemes. You need defensive players on your team, in the right places, to keep the competition honest.

Speaking of defense, how much business is walking out your back door while you bring it in the front? We all know that acquisition pays the big bucks, but it's important to keep the clients you have, and so retention and relationship expansion are probably more critical to year-over-year profitability than new business. The mantra for any business is twofold: more business from existing customers, and more customers. So, while you hire the best salespeople you can, don't neglect the best service and support players as well. They might not get paid as much as the rainmakers, but they embody the essence of the maxim that "sales is service, and service is sales".

Apply this to your job search. Pick your prospects, and research the leadership, offense, defense, how they play. Use LinkedIn to contact current and (especially) former employees. Consider the leadership. How do they respond under pressure? Who takes the credit for success, the bullet for failure? Do they do the right thing? Do they play as a team or as individuals, and do you fit into that infrastructure? Can you see yourself taking pride in their success? 

Go Cavs!

'Tis the season for sales, although it appears from media reports that sales are down...as determined by purely financial measures. But who needs reports, you can feel it in your bones. 

Here's the rub: Sales success is not about money, it's about emotions. Money is fiat, the means of exchange, irredeemable currency (I'd like fifty dollars worth of full faith in the Federal Reserve and the guarantee of the US government, please..oh, you mean it's only a promise?).

Again, sales is emotions. Specifically, three emotions: fear, love, and logic.

Fear: wouldn't it be terrible if...? Love: wouldn't it be great if...? Logic: isn't it smart to...?

These are the drivers of any purchase, whether it be an IPod (wouldn't it be terrible if all of Johnny's friends had one and he felt left out?), furniture (wouldn't it be great to have a matching living room suite?), a house (isn't it smart to build equity in a long-term investment?). Anything. 

Is it fair to assume that since "sales" are down, emotions are the drivers? That emotions are actually the fundamental essence of the economy? That what is missing in the current economic equation are the fear, love, and logic factors?

Well, let's keep it at the individual level for now.

As we look toward the New Year and the selling of ourselves, remember, in that interview, that the buyer will be motivated by one or all of these emotions, in varying degrees. Our job is to ensure that we invoke the emotional reactions we need to land the position: Wouldn't it be terrible if your business plan fell short because you needed the value I bring?...Wouldn't it be great if you rounded out your team with a proven contributor, and brought greater recognition to your department?...Isn't it smart lay the foundation for competitive growth with people who know how to drive revenue?

I know my own post-Christmas sale will focus on these concepts.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Well, today we will brave the crowds and do a little (a VERY little) Christmas shopping. From what I hear from friends and family, there is no shortage of parking this year. I'm reminded of shopping trips in the past, as kids, and the logic or thought ( or lack of ) that went into what went under the tree. 

When we were single-digit aged, my mother would take my younger brothers and me to Murphy's to shop for my aunt and great-aunt. She let us pick out a small makeup bag and fill it with lipstick, hand cream, compacts, and other aunt-like stuff. She guided us away from anything outlandish (although I can't imagine what might be considered outlandish in the Murphy's cosmetics aisle) until we filled the bags and they were in her cart---then, and only then, were we allowed to LOOK (never to buy) at the toys. My brother Pat was the worst, he would take so long picking out his aunt-stuff, he was sooo slow, he was always behind schedule (he received an award in high school for papering his bedroom with late passes) and we always had to wait for him. Damn, all I wanted to do was check out those army men! Get a move on Pat!!

Mom would buy us a coke at the soda fountain if we were good. That was the big treat (we never had soda at home), it came in a regulation glass with chipped ice and a big straw. We would kneel on the stools and spin ourselves around, trying to cop a sip as we whirled past the glass. 

Anyway, we got the bags of stuff for our aunts, and the whole experience probably cost about ten bucks.

My friend called me last week to co-commiserate on the economy, real estate values, and our general disgust at the malaise of integrity in the system. As usual, the conversation quickly blossomed into dark humor as we laughed in the face of disaster, including several satiric scenarios surrounding the anticipated appointment of the 'Car Czar' ("The business of government is to keep government out of business- that is, unless business needs government aid." Will Rogers)...and an interesting solution for the foreclosure crisis proposed in Barron's by Jonathan Laing (at least it covers those of us who continue to demonstrate financial integrity).

When the dialogue got serious, talk turned to the need to re-invent oneself in anticipation of where one is going, and how much time one will be in no-job travels...and that the essential first step is personal transformation before public transformation.

Consider: a person develops levels of skills, competencies, and value over a lifetime (whether it's 8 years or 80) that define their public persona, their worth to others, whether as friend, lover, employee, teammate, leader. We become overly comfortable in this presentation as we receive reinforcement that we fit in (or don't fit in, as the case may be), and often fail to recognize the same-old stagnation that may very well be apparent to others--and a detriment to ourselves. Often it takes a revelation, a cosmic charlie smack upside the head, for us to realize that change is due. Time is filled with extraordinary examples of phoenixing the new from the detritus of the old, some celebrated, some notorious: Paul, Augustine, Copernicus, Newton, Napoleon, Garibaldi, Marx, Hitler, Schweitzer, Wojtyla, Hussein...

Knowing that we are, for the most part, not extraordinary, nor are we likely to experience a cathartic bolt from beyond ala Alvin York, transformation remains a more subtle task for us. 

One way to re-engineer is the Renaissance way: strive to become a polymath "whose knowledge is not restricted to one subject area". Find a science to complement your art, or an art to fill out your science. Adopt eclecticism: appreciate Bach and Garcia, Picasso and Hopper, pierogies and oysters. Learn how to read a balance sheet. Write a marketing plan. Set a mindbending goal and go for it. 

My attempt is to be a business leader who cooks, writes, reads (my mindbender is to read all of the Pulitzer prize-winning novels), watches athletics (all kinds, even rodeo), and is equally comfortable at a rowdy black tie or a philosophical tailgate. 

Expand, insert your polymathy in a subtle way at your next interview, look for The Other One, ROUNDING is a good way to put it, and remember, the faster we go the rounder we get.  

This has been a productive holiday week, but a non-productive no-job week. Cookies are baked, ready for mailing, we'll get the tree up tomorrow, and the house will be Christmas ready by Sunday night. This is particularly important because we are entertaining my wife's associates at our house on Monday evening. She felt it was a more reasonable approach to the traditional office party, and I agree, having done this myself for my own teams in the past. It's just more homey and warm, compared to say, Dave and Busters. Of course, I'll be doing the cooking, assisted by an able-bodied sous-chef, my oldest son. Brisket will be the main course: at least one day before serving, place the raw brisket in a large pot, cover with water, add an onion, two large carrots, two stalks of celery, bay leaves, peppercorns, beef base or bouillion cubes, couple of dashes Worchestershire and steak sauce. Bring to a boil, and simmer for a few/three hours, or until meat becomes tender. Place the cooked brisket on a plate or sheet pan, and cool uncovered in the refrigerator for at least a day. Strain the broth, and discard the vegetables. Cover in a plastic container and cool along with the meat. Two hours before serving, trim the fat off the brisket, slice 1/4 inch pieces against the grain, and place in a large frying pan. Discard the hardened fat on the top of the broth, and cover the brisket with the broth. Simmer gently until heated through. To serve, spoon broth onto small crusty rolls, pile high with brisket, and always have horseradish and plenty of napkins on the side.

You can serve brisket with onion soup potatoes or latkes (with sour cream, of course). 

Now for drinks: how about this, from my bartending grandfather's bar-guide, How to Mix Drinks, or The Bon-Vivant's Companion, by Jerry Thomas, published 1862...

"Egg Nogg is a beverage of American origin, but it has a popularity that is cosmopolitan. At the South it is almost indispensible at Christmas time, and at the North it is a favorite of all seasons. In Scotland they call Egg Nogg "auld man's milk".

Baltimore Egg Nogg

(for a party of fifteen)

Take the yellow of sixteen eggs and twelve table-spoons of pulverized loaf-sugar, and beat them to the consistency of cream; to this add two-thirds of a nutmeg grated, and beat well together; then mix in half a pint of good brandy or Jamiaca rum, and two wine-glasses of Madeira wine. Have ready the whites of the eggs, beaten to a stiff froth, and beat them into the above-described mixture. When this is all done, stir in six pints of good rich milk. There is no heat used.

Egg Nogg made in this manner is digestible, and will not cause headache. It makes an excellent drink for debilitated persons, and a nourishing diet for consumptives.

Now that's my kind of medicine!! I suppose I'm just and auld man...

I spent Thursday and Friday doing something I have been putting off for five years: cleaning up my office. 

I call it my "office" only in the broadest sense, since it houses my desk, PC (memory recently upgraded, amazing how 2 gigs solves those multi-tasking issues), files, books, memorabilia, and artwork. There is an N.C. Wyeth "Cream of Wheat" print, framed old money (e.g., a fifteen shilling note issued in Pennsylvania under the auspices of King George, 1773), and an aberrant art  limited lithograph of Original Sin (395/950) by Barry Kite. I also have a train hand-carved from one piece of Pennsylvania coal (legacy from my father-in-law), a color photograph of one of Grania's castles (this one one Achill Island, County Mayo), and a painted birdhouse and brown-glazed decorated pot, both made by my artistic better half. A golf-themed wallpaper border tops the walls, and a brass golf-bag circling music box ("In The Good Old Summertime"), legacy of my father, reminds me that it is never too cold for golf. 

All of this buried under the detritis of five years of the empty nest becoming full again, and my procrastination in pitching old files, from the last time I was in the no-job dillema. 

So I gritted my teeth, took several Advil, and proceeded to shred (my stuff) or box (family stuff), until I papered three bankers boxes and confettied six forty gallon trash bags, as my venerable straight-cut shredder finally gave up the ghost.

As I looked through the resumes, cover letters, and presentations (oh yes, I did create several presentations which I used in interviews!), it was clear how inadequately I approached the task, by trying to sell my skills and competencies rather than the value I would bring to the right organization. This feeling was driven home when I found the rejection file...a depressing and impersonal anthology of cards and letters, many of which I would never have received if I hadn't been persistent in follow up. 

Memo to self: you will be an afterthought in the mind of a hiring manager who selects another candidate...don't take it personally. Remember, "The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about." (Wilde)

One other revelation: there is no better gauge of how the business has changed considerably over the past seven years, than to look at the research of that time, the era of the Internet  explosion and subsequest deflation as the unsustainable bubble burst. When I look at the infrastructure of business today, it is jamais vu all over again. 

Well, this has been an invigorating week, fighting gray weather, senior traffic, sales pitches, and the common cold. Several positive conversations, some discouragement, and a whole lot of homework to get done.

Homework comes from the first of what should be many meetings at the no-job agency, part of the separation agreement. Around the conference room table, several faces I knew, many that were new, with as many feelings as faces, as varied experiences as seats. Having been through this before with another agency, I was pleased that this time around the process seems more interactive, with clear expectations set that this is a full time job, and that there is a proven methodoly that improves chances for success.

Nevetheless, there were few attendees under the age of forty (my guess), and that seems indicative of the times. Some folks had been in their positions for 30 years or more, and the culture shock of having to create a positioning statement was evident as some had never had to describe their value before...let alone create a resume...

One another note, it's time to get the Christmas lights up!! My neighbors are putting me to shame with new displays (one has a really great electric penguin), which reminds me of the story of the cop on the beat who sees a man walking a penguin down a busy city street. Cop says "Hey mister, you better take that penguin to the zoo" and the man says "Ok officer, I guess you're right, I'll do that right away." The next day the cop sees the same guy walking down the street with the penguin, pokes him in the chest with his stick, and says " I thought I told you to take that penguin to the zoo!", to which the man replies, " Officer, I did, and he had such a good time, today we're going to the ball game!"

This coming week is one of many introductory emails and follow-up phone calls. I spent time organizing my contacts into specific groups, and received many referrals from family, friends, and associates over the past several weeks (for which I am very grateful, keep the cards and letters coming in!). Many of these new contacts are in the business or the supply chain, but I have also received generic lists of recruiters and headhunters, and I have been busy on LinkedIn.
Also, this week marks my orientation at the outplacement agency. I'm a little wary of this, as I have been through it before and had to dig deep to find the value, but here it is: you need to get out of the house and into a setting that forces you to work at the job of finding a job. There may also be opportunities for networking in industries you are not necessarily considering for the future. One thing to be careful of: don't expect them to do the work for you.

Watch and wait for you do not know the time or the place, and it will come when you least expect it.

What have we become, when an early morning trampling marks our progress as the compassionate, intelligent family of man? What are we thinking? The essential paradox is that we do not. We act, individually and as groups, with a herd mentality. Like cruel Jonas Chuzzlewit, we vicariously live by the Dickensian "...rule for bargains: Do other men, for they would do you. That's the true business precept." A murderous doctrine. Unconscionable.

This was the week of the headhunter. Not the turkey kind, though some 50 million birds were chopped, bled and plucked for November 27 alone, but the other kind that sets up shop to find you a new head after your own gets axed. Don't assume for one second that they are working for the job-hunter, as they are paid by the employer, but as long as you accept that, they provide another alternative for keeping your resume fresh and your interviewing skills honed.
They are in as dire a situation as the companies they represent. Dire straits indeed, as I contacted ten recruiters this week, and spoke with one of them...and felt their discomfort...

"May I speak with Mr. Ramar please? Yes, this is Willy-Willy following up on an email I sent him on Monday. Thanks, I'll wait."
"Hello, Mr. Ramar, yes, thanks for taking my call. I'm following--I'm sorry, you can't locate my email? Yes, Monday, I got your name from Lord Greystoke...that's right, you placed him on an escarpment in darkest--right, the fellow with the limited vocabulary but great leadership skills."
"That's right, Willy-Willy, I forwarded my resume and would like to know if I can clarify any information for you, and find out--no, I wasn't aware you only specialize in recruiting C-level swingers, that really doesn't fit my--sure, I'll hold..."
"Oh, you found it, great, can we review some of my qualifications--yes, I'll keep it to ninety seconds---'
"I started my career in the west basin of the---I'm sorry, I can't hear you, what is that annoying drumming sound that keeps getting louder and louder---? Yes, I can hear you much better now, as I was saying, I trained under Charlie and Zahir, and picked up numerous accolades for my--yes, Charlie with the parrot Walter--oh, you've heard of him, it's a small world---no, he had an unfortunate incident with a rope bridge...right, he was one of a kind."
"To continue, wait, can you hold a second Mr. Ramar, thanks..." Babette, Babette, come back to Willy-Willy, I make you nice banana soup..." sorry, had to put out a quick fire here...anyway, I hope you can run my qualifications through your database to see if there might be a---yes 'guide' would be a good description, I'm comfortable taking the lead and cutting through the--that drumming again, Mr. Ramar, I can't hear a word you--Mr. Ramar? Mr. Ramar! What the---yes, hello? Who am I speaking with...?"
"The White Goddess? Oh, you're an associate of Mr. Ramar---I see, you've moved into his camp---well, maybe you can help me..."

Timely recipe: stuff the bird. Take an unsliced loaf of white bread (not rye, wheat, or sourdough), cut off the crust, dice, and dry for a couple of days (or dry in a hot oven and let it cool). Chop celery and onions and saute in butter. If using fresh herbs, add chopped sage, thyme, and parsley (or whatever you like) to saute. Add saute to bread cubes in a large bowl. Add a raw egg. If using dried herbs add sage, thyme, parsley to bowl. Add chicken stock in small doses until bread is just moist. Mix thoroughly. Then have some fun. Add any/all of the following: chopped fresh oysters, ground cooked sausage, cornbread, walnuts, raisins, or anything else that the kids will eat. Stuff the bird or cook in a covered casserole for the last hour the bird is cooking.
Here is what is important. Don't oversoak the bread or you will end up with mush. Use whatever ingredients you like, but don't forget the sauteed celery and onions.

The market is housed in a 1912 building, a massive arched yellow-brick with an interior concourse, an unheated covered outdoor arcade, and a large clock tower. It is its own city across the river from the city, in the City of Ohio. First-time visitors mistake it for an old railroad station, but that is across Lorain in eighties modern. Large black back-braced letters atop the south wall W E S T S I D E M A R K E T reflect a different era and anchor the 25th Street storefronts which purvey complementary goods.
Yesterday the market teemed with buyers and sellers of roots, fruits, meats, milks, and breads. Cold rain and snow kept the hand-cart-pulling seniors at home, but left them with only one day left, Wednesday, to stock the pantry with holiday ingredients. Students home on holiday break continued traditional family excursions with their folks in tow, as excited as the 5th graders who gathered in the fish stall to start a scavenger hunt.
The hunters arrived in a small bus with parents and teachers, and quickly divided up into teams of three or four. Their goal is simple: the first team to complete the price blanks on their mimeographed sheet wins, the prize a piece of any creation from the bakery stall, all selections there delightfully decorated for the eye and decadent for the soul. Perfect.
Their list: one rutabaga, three roses, one bohemian rye bread, one blueberry pierogi, one serving of saffron pasta, ten sea scallops, two pints of fresh sour cream, six honeycrisp apples, four avocados, one bunch of rosemary, two soft pretzels, one bottle of sri-racha, one box decaffeinated tea, one 10 pound fresh turkey, one lamb tongue, fifteen large shrimp 1/2 pound chicken feet, one pint anchovy-stuffed olives. The teams scattered as their teacher gave the go. They had one hour.
One group stayed in the fish stall at the urging of a girl with black hair and a knit cap. "Wait, wait" she yelled as her comrades started after the other teams. "Wait, we can find some right here"...she had read the entire list and quickly organized the team into pairs. One hunted bread, two jumped into the arcade for vegetable, one searched dairy, and one meat and fish. The girl had them all plan to meet at the fish stall in a half hour, at which time any item unfound or incorrectly priced was easily chased down by the entire group, following the discovery of likely targets by the pairs and the lead of the black-haired girl. Winning hands-down, they enjoyed the slices of lemon pie, chocolate thunder cake, elairs, and caramel drizzle while the other teams, either scattered individually or wandering along as a group, leaderless, missed the confections.