Making Ripples: post-corporate adventures in Floyd County Virginia

Are you a commodity?

Being a commodity is safe, or so it seems at first. You have your MBA or your high school diploma and you go out and get a job that pays you appropriately.

You shovel fries or you write reports and you keep your head down and keep your thoughts to yourself and all goes well. The only downside is that you are not in control of your life and you never will be.

You do have a title, of course, but you are essentially a hired pair of hands with a speaking part that is narrowly defined.

Try making up your own lines and you will find yourself elsewhere. Try changing your daily routines and you will find yourself on the street.

Being a commodity is great if you are a scarce commodity and dismal if you are no longer in demand. Large companies are good at hiring commodities because they can easily use a checklist to see if you are qualified. There is no judgment call required to hire you.

If you want to survive in today's working world or if you are working for yourself, you need to understand what is unique about your abilities and promote that to potential customers, clients and employers. That way, you stay in control of your career. If you offer a unique benefit or service, that lessens the possibility of your client or employer of finding an alternative solution elsewhere.

So, what is the alternative? You can take responsibility for your life and your future and create your own individual microbrand, or as Hugh MacLeod calls it, a global microbrand.

Hugh MacLeod is a well-known example of a marketing guy who who has been making up his own rules and is creating quite a stir in the world. Have you heard about The Blue Monster, about Stormhoek wines? Hugh created both of those campaigns using his weblog as a point of departure.

If you are really tired of being a commodity, you might want to read my earlier post: To Be or Not Be a Commodity - that is your choice

Playing a better game of life - part 6 - finale

This is not the end - This is where you take over and change the game to one of your liking.

Warning: This is not a warm, fuzzy conclusion with softly swelling inspirational music. It is more like a klaxon signaling another round of hostile activity.

It's time to move from the theoretical contemplation of life as a game to getting on with it and applying what you know.

Life is all about survival and doing things that lead to increased survival for self, family and the greater community in which we live.

Most of us understand this fairly well because we have done things which have actually threatened our survival at some time. If we survived, we tend to look for ways to improve survival, not risk it needlessly.

Some people lead such protected lives that the idea of "survival" is somehow repugnant, something that only happens in a third-world society. They have so little knowledge of the real world that they can scarcely imagine bad things happening to them.

This can be seen in those whose good fortune comes from wealthy parents who protect them from the realities of life. Even as adults, these people are "protected" by their parents influence or wealth against the results of their own mistakes.

We live in a rapidly changing world and parents/protectors find less and less stability in their own lives these days.

Whether it is a natural disaster, tsunami, hurricane or just the end of a bad financial quarter, more and more people are finding that their personal survival depends on a certain minimum level of preparedness and not on what "Daddy" can pull off for them.

We who have experienced financial disasters or who have lived from paycheck to paycheck know that it doesn't take much to go from living well to finding oneself in dire straits.

When I see men almost my age busing tables in Paneras, it gives me pause and I redouble my efforts to make a go of my business enterprises.

I see many well-kept older men and women working the checkout stations in food chains and retail establishments. These are often people who held good-paying jobs and expected to retire comfortably until their company off-loaded them in an effort to stay afloat in an increasingly competitive world. These people have refashioned their lives and have adapted to the realities of 21st century employment instability.

Most of the people I see working the craft shows are former business professionals who have become artisans and artists. They were able to be more selective in their occupations because they prepared themselves for self-employment.

There are others who used their corporate time well and gave themselves a running start when they became self-employed. They became consultants or small suppliers to industry and they prosper because they identified a niche and prepared well enough to deliver a service that is needed and wanted.

I am bringing this series to a close because the game goes through repetitive cycles and we are coming to the end of another financial year. Some of you are at risk and you need to prepare yourself as best as you can, not necessarily by working harder.

If you are finding that your new boss is being unduly critical of you these last few weeks, it may be because she is planning to get rid of you in an effort to save her own job. If the company has not been doing well, this second or fourth quarter is when efforts are made to lighten the ship in hopes that it will weather the storm to come.

Your work output is rarely a consideration when it comes to deciding who goes and who stays. In far too many cases, the people who are kept are those who are in tight with management.

You know who you are, and if you are reading this you are probably not one of the insiders. Instead, you have been trying to get your job done in the midst of too many meetings and too much micro-management by the clueless.

Do not slacken your efforts to get your job done, but network as never before because this is a time when you need friends who have friends who are hiring.

There is always someone who is hiring.

Your job is to find the one who is right for you.

If this person doesn't seem to be available, hire yourself and get on with your own business. It's all part of finding a game that you can win at. You may find yourself playing the best game of your life when you are self-employed.

Give it your best and you will find that there are brighter days ahead.

Good luck.

(This was first published on September 8, 2005 and it still applies.)

 

Happiness is a plan that finally comes together

This picture was taken this morning. I am driving this tractor around in icy rain, soaked to the skin, and I am ecstatic! I finally have a workable system for hauling heavy loads of material over uneven terrain without risk of personal injury.

I have been working on acquiring a miniature tractor / dump cart combination for hauling firewood for almost a year and this was what I had envisioned.

Once I really set my mind to it, everything started happening at once. I licensed my book, Danger Quicksand - Have A Nice Day, to a Russian publisher and the licensing fee gave me the chance to purchase what I needed.

I didn't have time to search for what I needed, so I enlisted neighbor Tom King, bargain hunter extraordinaire, to help me. After a short search, he found me this stellar bargain at Sears.

I am driving a new, "discontinued model" Craftsman lawn mower with a 18 HP engine and a sturdy dump cart from Lowes. The whole package came in at around $1000 and it allows me to haul half-ton loads of firewood logs around our property.

Once I had a working tractor and a heavy duty dump cart, a lot of stalled projects started moving again.

I had an arborist take down a tree this morning and in the image above I am hauling cartloads of logs around to the log splitter where they will become firewood this weekend. I was able to remove most of the tree trunk sections in less than an hour. The tree people used the chipper to dispose of the branches and leaves.

The high sided dump cart will carry 1000 pounds which is adequate for hauling small loads of topsoil, mulch and gravel around the property. This tractor/cart combination speeds up landscaping chores immensely and lets me clean up odd piles of building materials that I have been avoiding for many months.

I do not have a lawn so the mower deck will soon be dropped and stored somewhere which will give the tractor a much higher ground clearance and will make it more useful in the woods.

My next project is to find out if there is some kind of snow blower attachment that I can bolt onto this tractor for use in clearing the driveway this winter. I don't think there is enough power to push a plow, but a self-powered snow blower attachment might come in handy, if such exists.

Playing a better game of life - part 5

The key to enjoying the game of life is to play it in a self-determined manner.

"Easier said than done," you may say, but this is an absolute necessity if you are to stay reasonably sane. 

If others control everything you do, you are experiencing a kind of slavery, no matter how kindly these others treat you.

You normally have some control over your life, unless you have broken enough of societies rules that you are deprived of liberty.

On the other hand, far too many of us stupidly give up one freedom after another in order to gain favor with the corporate elite and keep a fat salary coming in.

You will occasionally encounter a hiring manager who interviews you and keeps you off balance all during the interview and yet wants to hire you. Run, do not walk, out of there. This is a variety of toxic individual who will demonstrate his or her insanity constantly by keeping you in check or off balance as long as you work for them.

If you strive to get their approval by pleasing them, you will get led around in circles and will be constantly reminded that you are being kept on only because of their charitable nature because your work is woefully deficient. After a while you will begin to believe it and will be grateful to them. Eeew! Yuck! You need a severe reality adjustment if that is the case.

These people like to keep their employees anxious and afraid for their jobs. They may even pay high starting salaries to attract willing victims. Once you are on board this madhouse, you will find your confidence waning almost immediately. You will be made wrong almost every day and if you stick it out, determined to get them to approve of you, you will be bitterly disappointed.

Some of you may snort and think, "What company would allow such behavior!" This behavior is usually invisible in a large company because this kind of manager is constantly sucking up to higher levels of management. In a smaller company, this behavior is tolerated because the person doing it is the owner or a relative.

It really doesn't matter whether the company is large or small or whether this manager promises you rewards for your hard work. If you are not being allowed to use your judgment while carrying out your duties, you are merely a "gofer", a minion, no matter how much they pay you.

You will find gofers close to the highest levels in almost any organization. Some executives like to keep minions close to them as though they are fashion accessories. You will not survive well as a fashion accessory or as a minion.

Far better that you choose a path that lets you have more control over your life. Take responsibility for everything that happens to you and you will soon be well on your way to living a self-determined life. There is much more to be said about this, but I think you have the basic idea now.

One more tip: Try to cause only those effects that others can experience easily. You will be amazed how this uncomplicates your life.

(This originally appeared September 5,2005.)

"Easier said than done," you may say, but this is an absolute necessity if you are to stay reasonably sane. 

If others control everything you do, you are experiencing a kind of slavery, no matter how kindly these others treat you.

You normally have some control over your life, unless you have broken enough of societies rules that you are deprived of liberty.

On the other hand, far too many of us stupidly give up one freedom after another in order to gain favor with the corporate elite and keep a fat salary coming in.

You will occasionally encounter a hiring manager who interviews you and keeps you off balance all during the interview and yet wants to hire you. Run, do not walk, out of there. This is a variety of toxic individual who will demonstrate his or her insanity constantly by keeping you in check or off balance as long as you work for them.

If you strive to get their approval by pleasing them, you will get led around in circles and will be constantly reminded that you are being kept on only because of their charitable nature because your work is woefully deficient. After a while you will begin to believe it and will be grateful to them. Eeew! Yuck! You need a severe reality adjustment if that is the case.

These people like to keep their employees anxious and afraid for their jobs. They may even pay high starting salaries to attract willing victims. Once you are on board this madhouse, you will find your confidence waning almost immediately. You will be made wrong almost every day and if you stick it out, determined to get them to approve of you, you will be bitterly disappointed.

Some of you may snort and think, "What company would allow such behavior!" This behavior is usually invisible in a large company because this kind of manager is constantly sucking up to higher levels of management. In a smaller company, this behavior is tolerated because the person doing it is the owner or a relative.

It really doesn't matter whether the company is large or small or whether this manager promises you rewards for your hard work. If you are not being allowed to use your judgment while carrying out your duties, you are merely a "gofer", a minion, no matter how much they pay you.

You will find gofers close to the highest levels in almost any organization. Some executives like to keep minions close to them as though they are fashion accessories. You will not survive well as a fashion accessory or as a minion.

Far better that you choose a path that lets you have more control over your life. Take responsibility for everything that happens to you and you will soon be well on your way to living a self-determined life. There is much more to be said about this, but I think you have the basic idea now.

One more tip: Try to cause only those effects that others can experience easily. You will be amazed how this uncomplicates your life.

(This originally appeared September 5,2005.)

Do you know who I am? I'm Bobby Calvan, cub reporter!

Bobby Caina Calvan has distinguished himself as one of the most clueless reporters in Baghdad. He is an embarrassment to the McClatchy Newspapers, which are not doing all that well and do not need this kind of publicity.

Bobby is a a reporter from the Sacramento with unshakeable delusions of grandeur.  Yesterday he bragged about an encounter he had with a US soldier at a security checkpoint in the Green Zone.

According to Calvan, he tried to enter the Green Zone without a passport or drivers license and he got highly indignant that the soldier challenged him and did not know what Knight Ridder was. (Knight Ridder no longer exists, having been bought by McClatchy in 2006.)

Bobby has made blogging history in that he outed himself so thoroughly as an arrogant buffoon on his own weblog that every commenter was highly critical of his actions.

I estimate that he will be pulled out of Iraq within 48 hours.

Then again, he may be considered one of McClatchy's finest and will get promoted.

Time will tell.

Playing a better game of life - part 4

Think of your environment as the playing field.

Your environment is an essential component of the game of life. Your survival depends on how well you understand this fact and take appropriate action to level the playing field or tilt it in your favor.

In any game, the playing field has an effect on the outcome of the game. You would not expect to play a topnotch game of soccer or baseball on a field littered with garbage and potholes, because the neglected environment introduces unnecessary obstacles and will cause loss of control and possible injury.

An office environment where mold or harmful vapors exist can seriously affect your health. Ignoring these clues can significantly shorten your career and your life.

If you work in a foundry or a paint shop, you are prepared for a life-threatening environment and usually wear protective equipment. Office workers, on the other hand, will placidly continue working while workers use caustic solutions to remove paint or lift carpets in the same bay where office work is being done. In the same manner, office workers will continue working in offices with rain-soaked carpets and moldy ceilings because the boss has not told anyone they can go home or work elsewhere.

For example, deciding not to protect employees from black mold infestations in Research Triangle Park offices was probably not a decision made by IBM top management, but it affected fifty lives, some of them fatally. Somebody decided that it would be more efficient to cover up the problem rather than deal with it. It is still being covered up.  The interesting point as far as I am concerned, is that other employees are still working in the affected buildings...

The home is becoming a workplace for more and more people as telecommuting and self-employment spread. If ones home is cluttered and disorganized, it acts as an impediment to efficient production. If the home is filled with strife and unpleasantness, that is a major distraction to getting work done. A pleasant and orderly home makes a wonderful workplace. Those who work in such surroundings are to be admired.

Your town or neighborhood is the playing field for much of your social life, and in some cases, your working life. You have a responsibility to contribute to the town or neighborhood so that it remains a safe and healthy place to live. Only the most degraded expect the Federal Government to bear the responsibility for activities that are the responsibility of any local government.

For example, if you build your town in a swamp or a flood plain, why should the Federal Government be responsible for keeping you safe from mosquito-born diseases and flooding? State and County governments may be involved because of the possible economic returns, but the basic problem is an irresponsible choice of a high-risk playing field.

As an individual looking out for the interests of self, family, and neighborhood, you have a responsibility to ensure that your environment will aid you in your playing the game of life. Sometimes, the neighborhood gets overwhelmed by factors that you and your neighbors cannot overcome. If you have done all that you can do to rectify the problem and the neighborhood becomes more unsafe as time goes on, you may have to find another playing field before harm comes to you or your family.

This is an extreme situation, as you can usually enlist allies to clean up even the worst of situations if there is some underlying financial return from doing so. When there is a long-standing situation of unhandled corruption and criminality, the economic viability of a city, corporation, or township can be so marginal that it will no longer support legitimate businesses. This is one of the times it is wiser to relocate and start again elsewhere.

Do your best to improve your environment and make it a safe place to live or work. If your actions are being strongly opposed, you may wish to find another playing field and get on with your life.

(This was originally published on Sept 3, 2005 and it still applies today.)

Playing a better game of life - part 3

Winners, Losers, and Victims

One essential aspect of any game is to fully understand the possible outcomes beforehand.

We have all heard about the benefits of winning and the penalties associated with losing, but too few know about the ancient strategy of avoiding defeat by claiming to be a victim.

This is the strategy that claims others won because they had an unfair advantage, and because the victim was handicapped in some way, and because, well you know, things are always unfair, etc. etc.

Winners almost always win because of better preparation. It may not seem like that to the losers, because winners sometimes seem to carry off winning performances with ease, but winning is almost never an accident.

The winning actress gets the part because she flossed every day, practiced when others were out partying, and studied like crazy to develop the skills needed to succeed.

The winning executive learns from his past mistakes and understands the politics of the workplace well enough to know what is REALLY wanted from him.

Successful people endure a lot of deprivation in order to achieve long-term goals. These can include studying while others party, painstaking preparation for presentations, long hours spent getting results, the list can be endless. Winning depends on getting enough right to make a go of it. All the preparation will be in vain if something vital is missed. There is no guarantee of success. There is only an increasing probability of success if you know enough and are well-prepared.

One key point is that winners make more friends than enemies and these friends help propel them to positions of powers and success. People who climb to success by exploiting others eventually get thrown down by those they have betrayed.

Losers are those who fail to do enough of the actions that lead to success. They may floss and study and all of that, but somewhere along the way, they get discouraged and stop trying. Some stop trying in grade school and we see them sleeping in doorways and under bridges.

Victims are losers who are not willing to take responsibility for their own defeat. They seek sympathy for imagined wrongs. We are not discussing victims of hurricanes here, we are discussing those who seek a handicap for their incompetence. They will seek an advantage because of their color or race or circumstances of birth rather than seeking equality of opportunity. Victims, in a word, are irresponsible.

There are good reasons why the bar shouldn't be lowered for those who are less "fortunate". Airlines would be even more dangerous if flown by the educationally challenged. Government by the terminally confused would be an adventure that most of us in the U.S. could not contemplate. Government is a chore that challenges the most highly skilled and motivated. Anyone who has held senior positions in a good-sized company knows how incredibly difficult it is to get things to run right even with highly skilled people involved.

There are whole books that can be written on this subject. The bottom line is that success takes a LOT of work and a very small amount of luck. That is as it should be. When this natural order is overturned, things go downhill rapidly.

(This was originally published on Sept 02, 2005)

One essential aspect of any game is to fully understand the possible outcomes beforehand.

We have all heard about the benefits of winning and the penalties associated with losing, but too few know about the ancient strategy of avoiding defeat by claiming to be a victim.

This is the strategy that claims others won because they had an unfair advantage, and because the victim was handicapped in some way, and because, well you know, things are always unfair, etc. etc.

Winners almost always win because of better preparation. It may not seem like that to the losers, because winners sometimes seem to carry off winning performances with ease, but winning is almost never an accident.

The winning actress gets the part because she flossed every day, practiced when others were out partying, and studied like crazy to develop the skills needed to succeed.

The winning executive learns from his past mistakes and understands the politics of the workplace well enough to know what is REALLY wanted from him.

Successful people endure a lot of deprivation in order to achieve long-term goals. These can include studying while others party, painstaking preparation for presentations, long hours spent getting results, the list can be endless. Winning depends on getting enough right to make a go of it. All the preparation will be in vain if something vital is missed. There is no guarantee of success. There is only an increasing probability of success if you know enough and are well-prepared.

One key point is that winners make more friends than enemies and these friends help propel them to positions of powers and success. People who climb to success by exploiting others eventually get thrown down by those they have betrayed.

Losers are those who fail to do enough of the actions that lead to success. They may floss and study and all of that, but somewhere along the way, they get discouraged and stop trying. Some stop trying in grade school and we see them sleeping in doorways and under bridges.

Victims are losers who are not willing to take responsibility for their own defeat. They seek sympathy for imagined wrongs. We are not discussing victims of hurricanes here, we are discussing those who seek a handicap for their incompetence. They will seek an advantage because of their color or race or circumstances of birth rather than seeking equality of opportunity. Victims, in a word, are irresponsible.

There are good reasons why the bar shouldn't be lowered for those who are less "fortunate". Airlines would be even more dangerous if flown by the educationally challenged. Government by the terminally confused would be an adventure that most of us in the U.S. could not contemplate. Government is a chore that challenges the most highly skilled and motivated. Anyone who has held senior positions in a good-sized company knows how incredibly difficult it is to get things to run right even with highly skilled people involved.

There are whole books that can be written on this subject. The bottom line is that success takes a LOT of work and a very small amount of luck. That is as it should be. When this natural order is overturned, things go downhill rapidly.

(This was originally published on Sept 02, 2005)

Decisions that affect small business success

While we were visiting Northern California and Portland Oregon, I visited a number of custom framing shops and tried to draw some conclusions as to what made certain shops successful.

It all seemed to come down to how they treated customers.

Some successful shops were automated with computer controlled mat cutters and others hand cut every mat. Some shops had fancy interiors while others, equally successful, had cheerfully cluttered interiors with frames and samples piled in every corner and on every flat surface.

In every case, the successful shops had nearby framing shops of similar appearance that were going out of business. The picture framing industry appears to be going through a shakeout and yet the successful shops I visited were scrambling to keep up with demand.

My small sample can hardly be considered applicable to all frame shops, but there was one characteristic that the successful shops all shared. The owners and staff were helpful and friendly to an amazing degree. In each case, it was immediately evident that they were there to help customers solve problems and they were willing to share information about resources and to discuss framing techniques.

I also watched the way they handled customers. In almost every case, the shop was willing to go the extra distance to handle customer issues or to make sure customers  were provided with a satisfying  experience.

I am sure there are other important factors for long-term success, but these shops had all been in business for more than 20 years and they were highly differentiated, except for the quality of customer service, which was uniformly superior.

I wonder if this applies to other small businesses?

What have you observed?

We have returned safely from our West Coast vacation

By the time you read this, we will be driving up the Blue Ridge Parkway toward Floyd, Virginia. We made it back in one piece and my luggage will be along any day now.  :)

The trip was productive in many ways and it has certainly confirmed our 2002 decision to seek a quieter and less stressful lifestyle.

From some of the conversations I have had it also seems that I should publish at least one more book of unconventional career advice with a major focus on starting over.

Careers seem to be less stable every year, so a no-nonsense discussion of strategies for transforming ones life might be interesting to write and to read.

What do you think? Are any of you in need of change, but aren't sure how to go about it and what the consequences might be?

Playing a better game of life - part 2

To reiterate the theme from part 1:

Life is a game in that there are barriers to success, rewards for success, opponents, and potential team mates.

This is about joining a team that is right for you. Unfortunately it can be more challenging than you expect.

If you are a "wolf" joining a "dog" pack, you may think your superior skills and intelligence will carry the day. I'm sorry, but you will not fit in even if you learn to yap in chorus with the rest instead of howling. You will not "smell" right and they will eventually make you feel unwelcome. The same is true whenever your natural culture is not aligned with the team culture.

There are many teams with goals that are not aligned with your goals, in which case you will be operating in opposition to the team at times. Whether you realize it or not, this puts you in treason to your own goals and purposes while a member of this group. Believe me, this is not a good thing.

For example, you may have pulled in a lucrative contract with a drug company which promotes better living through mood-altering drugs applied early and often to people of all ages. If you know that the same effects can be achieved through proper nutrition and diet, you will be subjecting yourself to a moral crisis every time you come up with a way to get more people hooked on this medication.

If on the other hand, you firmly believe that the good life is the thoroughly medicated life, you are in the right group.

It all comes down to understanding what your future team mates do as well as what they say. Whether it is well-known company like Enron you are joining or a group that calls themselves Freedom Fighters for Universal Justice, you need to know whether their activities and culture align with your culture.

You will occasionally run across companies and groups with high-sounding goals which seek to achieve them by slandering or destroying people and institutions which are trying to keep the world running.

Does this sound confusing? The high-sounding goals can suck you right in and can cause you to get involved with a group that promotes fairness for oppressed minorities, while insisting on absolute subjugation of women and total destruction of other races and religions.

Another example is the political arena where a political group has all of the right words and music, but the principal actors are morally bankrupt. This applies to domestic and international religious groups as well.

When you choose to join a group, you should view it with the same seriousness as when choosing a life partner. The relationship should be mutually beneficial and should be something you will be proud to be a part of for a long time to come.

If your purpose in joining a group or relationship is to make a quick score and depart care-free at the earliest opportunity, you may be in for an unpleasant surprise. Flirting with the wrong people or causes can leave you with a reputation that may follow you forever. People do not forget those who fraternize and support enemies of their country or culture. People also have long memories when it comes to executives who betray their employees.

You will do best with a group when you take time to thoroughly investigate the group's activities and culture as well as the professed goals and purposes - before joining the group as a member. Spend as much time as you need, working and visiting with the group if possible, before making your decision. You will not regret the time spent.

Joining the right company or group can have a profound effect on your life. Just remember, a well-run company may have a culture that suits existing employees just fine, but you may not fit that culture. It is up to you to make sure that you will be able to function well in that culture and become a respected member of the team.

Once you are part of a team that suits you, you can do a better job of playing the game called life. In the next post, I will discuss winners, losers, and victims.

Stay tuned.

(This was originally published on Sep 01, 2005 as part 2 of a 6 part series)