Rothacker Reviews

Escape from Corporate America

Escape from Corporate America by Pamela Skillings

Do you get the Sunday-night blues?  For me the metamorphosis began around three o'clock in the afternoon and developed into a full blown stomach ache by six.  I was impossible to be around.  The Monday march to work was a march into the gas chamber. 

Jeeze dave, tell us how you really feel!

Sorry.  Raw nerves on this topic.  The title of Pamela's book was good enough to make me look inside.  Once I did, I never came up for air!  The first word that came to mind as I put Pamela's book down was PROLIFIC!  As in a ton of useful information and insight.  My mind's measuring stick: "Does this person, place or thing add value?  Am I better off for having crossed their / its path?  Have I learned something?"  In Pamela's case, yes, yes and yes!

Pamela provides a foolproof method to determine whether or not her book is for you.  Take a minute, visit Pamela's site and take this quiz.  The lower the score, the more you need her book.

Around interesting testimonials and case studies throughout her work, Pamela leads not only with the quiz, but a methodical discussion on whether or not escape is best for you.  Ok, after you return from the tattoo parlor with "I MUST ESCAPE" tattooed on your forehead, the transition into Pamela's various methods of escape provide quite an enjoyable read.  Pamela finishes with advice on obstacles that you will encounter following the jailbreak.  Finally, Pamela provides a resource guide at the end that is also available and updated here.

This book was smoked-n-signed.

The American Dream

I recently read this article written by Robert Trigaux and published in the St. Pete Times.  The American Dream.  Quick, what comes to mind?  Little house in the burbs with a white picket fence, right?  This is an overused generalization that for me, signifies only one thing, that for most of us there really is an American Dream - whatever it might be.

Robert's article is based upon a survey conducted by advertising giant JWT.  Ann Mack, JWT's director of trendspotting ran point on this project.  Although the results of this survey are available to the public...for 3K, the questionnaire that JWT uses is quite interesting and available to the public...for free: Download JWT_AmericanDream_SURVEY.pdf .

In the questionnaire's cover letter, Ann says:

"As a throwaway line, 'the American Dream' passes with a nod and barely a second thought.  You can say 'He's living the American Dream' or 'She's been pursuing the American Dream,' and few people will want to know just what you mean."

The fact is, when I heard the question "What does the phrase, 'the American Dream' mean to you?" my inner status-quo took quite a head-on jolt.  I asked myself, just what was my own American Dream?  And, was I achieving it?

To contemplate about your own American Dream, is to take a deep breath and, for a moment, to step off the hamster wheel of life and work.  This exercise can be healthy and invigorating.  Why not let this question invoke a status check of your life?  And if you do not live in America, no worries...from your perspective what does the American Dream mean?

If you have your own personal Web site, tell us what the American Dream means to you?  And encourage others to do so as well!

I'll tell you what the American Dream means to me in the next couple of days.   

Top Ten Dream Jobs

Check out Curt Rosengren's post on the Top Ten Dream Jobs.  Here is Curt's post minus his own commentary at the end.  (Click on Top Ten Dream Jobs for entire post)

Top 10 dream jobs

Kevin Kelly over in Ireland points to a survey of 2000 people done in the UK for  Creative and Cultural Skills that asked people about their dream jobs, both when they were kids and today. Here are the top ten dream jobs.

TOP 10 DREAM JOBS FOR KIDS

1) Doctor/Nurse
2) Vet
3) Footballer
4) Teacher
5) Actor/Movie Star
6) Writer
7) Dancer/Ballerina
8) Pilot
9) Pop Star
10) Astronaut

TOP 10 DREAM JOBS FOR ADULTS

1) Writer
2) Teacher
3) Landscape Gardener
4) Paramedic
5) Photographer
6) Police Officer
7) Physiotherapist
8) Movie Director
9) Restaurant Owner
10) Musician

But what if you don't know?!  What if you don't know what you want to be??  You search for your red rubber ball.  That's what you do. 

Kevin Carroll helps folks find their red rubber balls.  As a matter of fact he's written a book called What's Your Red Rubber Ball?! Subtitled discover your inspiration and chase it for a lifetime, a stroll through Kevin's book takes one on a Seuss-like, "Oh, the Places You'll Go! type journey...with one exception.  You get to create, make and do stuff!  Kevin's book gently tugs at your spirit.  It will invoke your hands and mind to join along with your heart and soul.  Together you will pursue your life's dream.  You will.  Except if you don't.  Because if you don't pick up a copy of Kevin's book, you won't.  So...get on your way friends.  Click on the icon for a copy today!

Hollow Smiles

Hollow smiles.  Nervous, hollow smiles.

"Oh, that's nice dear.  So, when are you going to get a job?"

She puts in seventy hours each week...easy.  Time spent thinking, bending and molding words until they reach the pitch of perfection.  Time spent reading, conversing and networking.  Time spent on contests, querying and pitching.  Time spent on revising, revising and revising.  Time spent on obtaining an agent.  Time spent on trying to succeed.

Hollow smiles come from the well intentioned.  They think it's nice that she has a hobby.  It's nice to be dedicated, though they're not really sure to what.  It's nice to keep busy since she got laid off from her job.

The hollow smiles hurt her.  Why can't they understand she asks.  And then she wonders, am I doing the right thing?  Can I really make a living writing?  Should I just get a job like everyone wants me to do?  Maybe my stuff is not good enough.

He says no.  No, with conviction.  He believes in her.  After a round of hollow smiles, he comforts her.  He tells her she has what it takes.  He tells her that her stories are strong, her dialog flows and her descriptive language is refreshingly :-) adverb-free.  He has never doubted.  Not once.  He sees the two of them one day sitting on the porch of their cabin in Maine.  He sees her smile.  He sees peace in her heart.

Not all radiate hollow smiles.  Some effuse spirit-filled smiles of belief.  He hopes that those who matter most to her will one day be filled with the spirit of belief.  He hopes it comes before she breaks out, because it would mean that much more to her.  Until then he will hold her hand, hold her heart and hold open that cabin door.

Aesthetic Aspirations

I was preparing to write a book review of The Substance of Style by Virginia Postrel this morning when the switch of serendipity kicked in and railed my mind toward the open tracks.  A millisecond before reading in The Substance of Style,

"Aspiration is the tricky part of identity, the "world of make believe"...Often the identities we express with our aesthetic choices are not those we have but those we desire."

I thought to myself,

There are no human beings that I work with or acquaintances that I have in the physical world who share my love and appreciation for design, the written word in the world of business, the art of communicating messages, the need to move beyond status-quo, hamster-wheel, business as usual, the incredibly vibrant and stimulating work philosophies of younger generations and what they are contributing today and this aching need to move with fluidity in a world not constrained by judgment-by-looks, suits and ivory towers.

...okay, that last statement might perhaps, be a bit too liberal, but my God, the tie should have faded into history about the same time corsets disappeared from everyday attire.

Additional views on aesthetic aspirations from Ms. Postrel:

Aesthetic aspirations inevitably express some sort of dissatisfaction, a longing for a different sort of life, perhaps even a different self.  Discontent fuels every quest for improvement, regardless of form.

Virginia's definition of aesthetic aspirations is precisely what drove me to express myself on the Internet years ago and still keeps me coming back today.  No doubt that I am to blame for my work situation.  In the nineties I went through a three year stretch where I never disclosed my name on my site.  Today, even though I work for my industry's second largest corporation in the world, no one is even aware of my two sites here.  But that's okay.  I gave up looking for the above referenced aspirations in my industry a long time ago. 

It is most ironic that I am even having these thoughts today.  I have never been more comfortable with my work situation and its separation from my aspirations.  Still, I guess, it would be nice to physically encounter someone who has heard of The Cluetrain Manifesto or Change This or Fast Company or Dan Pink or Virginia Postrel or Thomas A. Stewart or Malcolm Gladwell or Patty Seybold or Seth Godin or Andrea Learned or Pamela Slim or Kathy Sierra or David Armano or Roger von Oech or Jackie Huba or Emanuel Rosen or Gerald Zaltman or Lisa Johnson or Tom Davenport or John Beck or Ted Levitt or Marcus Buckingham or Bruce Nussbaum or Polly LaBarre or Jory Des Jardins or Harvard Business Review or Print or How or I.D. or ...

...but then again, I'm not keeping track :-)

Brazen Careerist

Brazen Careerist by Penelope Trunk.

Today's world of work is not the same as your father's was.  Thank God!  Penelope Trunk, columnist for the Boston Globe and Yahoo Finance in addition to her own Website has written a spot on, insightful book titled Brazen Careerist.  Penelope hopes to provide a roadmap for Gen X and Y'ers to follow in pursuit of their own life's work.  Drawing on real world experience, she stories upon such topics as:

• Grad School
• Adventures
• Resumes
• Interviews
• Managers
• Office Politics
• Sex Discrimination
• Promotions
• The New American Dream

Penelope's work has been referred to as the modern day version of What Color is Your Parachute?  While the Brazen Careerist is a manifesto and rallying wake-up cry for Gen X and Y'ers, I find that it talks frankly and honestly to a whole other generation of folks.  Mine.  The Boomers.

As a Boomer manager, I feel as if Brazen Careerist is my own personal undercover spy, infiltrating the Gen X and Y'ers' world.  Of course for me, there isn't a trace of spying or undercover that goes into dealing with folks from these generations.  It is all about collaboration.  And if one wishes to collaborate, they must understand the other collaboratoree.  Brazen Careerist introduces us, stays in the conversation and provides that much needed understanding.

For Boomers who do not recognize the workplace change today, there is no help.  But for those of us who relish in the new environment and who cherish the spirit and attitude of those who will one day be placing us in nursing homes*, I find the Brazen Careerist positively fascinating!!

*Our Gen Y daughter has for sometime reminded us of her role in this potential eventuality, helping to explain why we should see and support her point of view...or perhaps our nursing home will not have all of the amenities that we would expect.  She tried to explain the concept of an outhouse...

Why Should I Work For You?

I am one chapter short of smoking and signing Mavericks at Work by William C. Taylor & Polly LaBarre.  Bill and Polly present insights and case studies on companies and people who are today, running the companies of tomorrow.

As I read about these present day mavericks who build on purpose and fuse character with innovation to make a difference for their employees and customers, I couldn't help but to think of a theme that the authors weave throughout their work:  Why should great people join your organization?

I work in an industry that is starved for technical people.  And I don't mean hungry, I mean Ethiopia.  As a manager who hires these folks, I myself need to be able to articulate this answer with crisp clearness (which I've never satisfactorily done).  In tune with some words I wrote the other day about working in transparency, I'd like to answer this question with a public statement about why folks should work with my team.  I probably will have to return and tweak this - which is the point.

Once we've established that a candidate fits our culture of:

• The need to develop personally
• Respect for each other and our customers
• Loyalty to each other
• The desire for excellence
• The desire to move forward

...then I can say with confidence:

You should work with my team because:  We are going to dial you into a world of learning, a world where we channel your strengths toward finding solutions for our customers...(in progress)

A Timeless Post

In the tenth grade I was asked by a guidance counselor, "what do you want to be when you grow up?"  The thought that I put into my answer was equivalent to a four-year old saying he wants to be a fireman.  The year was 1972, and I said I want to work with computers.  To quickly dispel any thought that I took this statement and dedicated my life to it - I just learned how to copy and paste on computers about four years ago...although in reality I have been working with computers for twenty two years...the same way a clerk at Target works with computers.

While trolling around doing research for our last Starship Mission, I came upon Penelope Trunk and her site Brazen Careerist.  Penelope is an old school blogger who has cataloged a ton of useful information over the years.  Penelope is also a prolific syndicated columnist.  She might find it odd that I find more significance and relevance in her blog than that of print media (advertisers will eventually figure this out).  Penelope writes a thought provoking post in Answering the question, What do you do?  She links out to Pamela Slim of Escape from Cubicle Nation and Pamela's most timeless post:  How do you introduce yourself? 

When asked the question, "What do you do for a living?" I've never been able to look someone confidently in the eyes and say, "I am a...."  I am not trying to do the "whoa is me thing" here.  It's simply a fact.  I believe it has been that way because I have never been satisfied with any position in my entire life.  As Pamela says, "By wobbling around in your introductions..."  I've been a master wobbler.

Here is an example introduction from Pamela:

The way you will start really owning your new business venture is to introduce yourself as an entrepreneur.  Examples:

New Acquaintance:  "So, what do you do for a living?"

You:  "I help homeowners use solar technology to reduce their energy bills by 400%"

New Acquaintance: "Wow, that is cool!  How long have you been doing it?"

You:  "For the last year or so" ("or so" is the key word ... )

New Acquaintance:  "And this pays your bills?"

You: "It will in the next year as I complete the first phase of start-up.  In the interim, I moonlight as VP of Marketing for IBM."

Of course I have no business ventures but there is much to be learned from Pamela's words.  She finishes with:

A Buddhist friend once told me that the words that you say form a force field of attraction around you.

Pamela shines a beacon of light with this post.  I should be able to see it once I get the chicken feathers out of my eyes.

Hugh of Gaping Void published Pam's Work Manifesto this past Sunday.  This is good!

Update December 9, 2006 - So I go to a party armed with this fresh new knowledge.  I am ready and set to introduce myself as a writer when the first bloke I happen upon turns out to publish and own five magazines.  The dude doesn't ask me what I do, but I was prepared to chuck the writer spiel and labor down the "I am a manager..."  Yuck!

Work Cultures

Time to fire up the ride, kick out the jams and go cruising today.  A rumbling muscle car, a little Space Truckin' by Deep Purple and vapor trails in Cyberspace - does it get any better?

By way of magic and technology, I begin the day in Hawaii at Starbucks sipping hot coffee with my friend Rosa Say.  Rosa and I can discourse deep into spirituality, growing up or working at Woolworths, but today she simply tells me to check out a wonderful writer by the name of Verna Wilder .  Rosa knows that I will connect with Verna because she knows Verna admires creative writer-coach Julia Cameron.

Back in the Cutlass, I change the eight track tape to The Best of Bread and a little Baby I'ma Want You.  I roll into Colorado late morning and hook up with Verna.  Spend one minute on Verna's site and you smell the fresh morning flowers of soulful expression...

  "I like the idea of finding the shape of my life and defining it by stepping into it, and as Marilyn says, opening my heart to who I am, which means a lot of letting go of who I thought I might be or who I was trying to be. Who I am is in there already, in my heart. I find that very comforting."

...Verna's love of sculpting words to fit her thoughts is postively neon! 

"Dave, what's any of this got to do with work cultures?"

"Chill.  I've got a half tank of gas and two more tapes.  Lets get back to the Magic Carpet Ride."

Paperback Writer is just finishing up on the Kenwood as I pull into Terry Gold's  office parking lot.  Verna's directions are perfect.  Walking through the front door, something strikes me as unusual.  I think it's this conversation that I am over hearing.  Terry is talking about the office of the future .  His assistant, Angela Watson, injecting her thoughts on what should be in the office of the future:

"As part of my job as your assistant, I typically remind you of your next meeting and often times have to run around the office to locate you. My idea for “the office of the future” is to have a GPS tracking devise on you at all times that would enable me to pull up a map online and find your precise location."

pssssst, this is where the culture part starts surfacing...

The tone in Angela's voice is both serious and mischievous.  Angela's demeanor perks my curiousity.  Remember, she is talking to her boss here.  I picture Terry as an entreprenuer always on the move, a cat with a high metabolic rate.  I sort of fade back, away from their conversation and notice a matchbook lying on the floor.  This seems odd.  I get the feeling not many folks working here smoke.  Inside the cover I notice an address.  Back to the Cutlass.

The car's headers roar to life as the speakers roar The Wizard by Uriah Heep.  The song is barely over as I pull into Angela's place.  If there was any doubt before, this seals the deal.  Terry Gold has created a tremendous work culture!  Or perhaps more correctly, he has let a tremendous work culture evolve. 

As a manager, I have an enourmous amount of respect and admiration for the culture at Terry's company Gold Systems .  This type of work environment can do nothing but enhance a company's product and service!!

Well, it's been a lovely Saturday, thanks for cruising along.  Now, I think I'll go to the park .

Note:  I do not own a muscle car :(

               

Nine Lives of Leadership: Sally Hogshead

I read a few more stories into Lisa Haneberg's book Nine Lives of Leadership and ran right into another beauty:  Radical Careering by Sally Hogshead.

Before going further, I'd just like to say:  I am not familiar with the coin trail, but somebody better be filling Lisa's pockets for her Nine Lives effort!  Her description of the book contents along with her conversation with the authors, is making me want to suck up all of these books!

I am not going to repeat what Lisa has already said about Sally.  Just download her e-book.  (links below)  What I'd like to tell you about is Sally's manifesto over at Change This.  It is titled Cherry Bombs:  A Supplemental Kit to Radical Careering.

Cherry Bombs is not a replication of Sally's book.  It stems from research she was conducting - why do people succeed right now, amidst the insanity of today's workplace?  Sally uncovers three trends that explain.  The trends break down to personal or organizational paralysis.  Cherry Bombs blow up paralysis.  If paralysis is something like toliets, I can say that Cherry Bombs will work pretty well.

Go to Change This and read Sally's Cherry Bombs right now.

Lisa Haneberg
Nine Lives of Leadership
Change This: Cherry Bombs
Radical Careering.  Sally's Website